Before I Sleep: Chimera
by wildsky
Summary: Part 1. Three months after FN. Sort of AU. The new transgenic on the block causes chaos for her fellow freaks. Some coarse language and several OCs.
1. It's All Good

**Disclaimer: I don't own'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N: This story takes place after the novels but ignores the cop-out virus cure.**

**Chapter 1: It's All Good**

**Terminal City Headquarters, 2021AD**

Max Guevara looked around the table and let out a rare sigh of contentment. Things were actually going well for a change. She'd finally relaxed enough to let Original Cindy bulldoze her into throwing a party at Terminal City. She had to admit that it had been a good idea.

To some, the scene playing out might have been hilarious. Or surreal. Transgenics, transhumans and 'ordinaries' crowded together, moving in time to the music. The volume wasn't high – transgenic hearing made such excesses unnecessary. In the centre of the room, Joshua was dancing with Original Cindy and the sight made her smile. The canine-human hybrid was clearly enjoying himself though he looked like a grasshopper with a limp – those surrounding him graciously cleared a space for him. He didn't care what anyone thought. Opportunities to have fun were few and far between for the gentle giant and he was determined to make the most of the party. Even Mole was getting his groove on, his ever-present cigar weaving a smoke trail through the air. The lizard man was dancing with Gem, who was grinning up at him as she showed him some moves.

"Never thought I'd see Mole gettin' his groove on." To Max's left, Alec shook his head in amusement as he watched the usually gruff transhuman spin Gem across the floor.

"This is definitely a Kodak moment," Sketchy agreed, lifting his camera to take a photograph. Most of the time Max would have put a hand over the lens or snatched the camera away but she couldn't muster enough irritation to do so. It couldn't hurt to have a few pictures of a dancing transhuman, right?

"Wait till he sees the prints," Alec said with a wicked grin.

"You're not gonna make me show him, are you?" Sketchy asked, clearly not liking the idea.

"It's cool, Sketch," Alec told him. "I think Gem oughta do it. She'd love it." Max chuckled at the image that flashed into her mind. Gem was one of the few people within Terminal City who could tease the lizard man and get away with it. During and after the Terminal City siege, the young X5 mother and the transhuman had forged an unlikely friendship. Mole was extremely protective of both Gem and her beautiful daughter. Mole grumbled but grudgingly admitted that the kid was kinda cute.

At that very moment, little Eve was asleep in the arms of Terminal City's most unusual ally – Reagan Ronald, known to most as Normal. Ever since the Jam Pony siege, during which Normal had helped bring little Eve into the world, he'd been firmly in the transgenics' corner. Once Normal had gotten past his initial bias, he'd refused to be intimidated by any of them. He'd even "bip bip bipped" Mole. Max had never seen the lizard man look incredulous but it had been one of those 'freeze frame' moments. That alone made Normal's visits worth it.

Max's gaze flicked over to Alec, Normal's Golden Boy. His attention was focused on Joshua and Original Cindy. A hint of a smile touched his mouth as he watched them, a glass of scotch in his hand. Much as she hated to admit it, OC had been right – Manticore sure knew how to make 'em pretty. His hazel eyes were always full of energy and humour, something Max had come to appreciate over the last few months. Nothing was ever as bad as it seemed when Alec was around to lighten the mood. As if sensing her regard, Alec turned to meet her gaze.

"So when are you gonna have a dance, Maxie? This is your party, isn't it?"

"Joshua saved me the next one," she replied and managed to keep a straight face when Alec couldn't suppress a wicked smile.

"Should I call medical now or later?" he asked with good humour. "OC's gonna need it even if you don't." Max swatted him as he threw back the last of his drink. "I'm kidding, Max," he clarified. "Take it easy."

Eve stirred in Normal's arms and he looked down at her sleepy face, his lips twitching. "Hello there, cutie." The baby yawned and Max smiled in spite of herself.

"She's awake?" Gem asked as she came up to the table with Mole in tow. Sketchy tactfully slid his camera off the table and placed it into Alec's waiting hand so that it was out of the lizard man's sight. Normal carefully deposited the baby into her mother's waiting arms.

"She's beautiful, Gem," Normal said. Mole peered over Gem's shoulder and the baby smiled up at him, gurgling happily. He touched a rough finger to the baby's cheek.

"Yeah, wait'll she starts wailing," he said gruffly. Gem winked at Max, who stifled a smile. It was a running joke that the bad-ass, shotgun-toting, cigar-smoking transhuman had been tamed by a three-month-old baby girl. Mole backed up a step and nodded in the direction of the door, a fresh cigar in hand.

"Okay," Gem said calmly. Alec gave her a questioning look as Mole left the room. "I asked him not to smoke around Eve," she explained with a shrug.

"Fair enough," Alec agreed, reaching out so that Eve could grab his finger and hold on tightly. He smiled at the baby girl, by no means immune to her innocent charm. "Hey, she's got major grip," he joked.

"You have no idea," Gem said affectionately. "Do you want to hold her for a minute?"

"Me?" Alec was caught totally off-guard. "I'm not a baby person," he protested.

"Uh, hello? Genetically engineered killing machine right here," Gem pointed out, raising her free hand. Alec shrugged his response and Gem placed the wriggling child into his grasp. He had a hand under each of baby Eve's arms so that she kind of dangled, her feet resting on his lap. It didn't look terribly comfortable but the girl cooed and gurgled at the uncomfortable X5 now at her mercy. Max did her best to not laugh at him. After all, she wasn't exactly the maternal type either.

"Max." The girl in question turned to find Logan Cale standing at her shoulder.

"Hey," Max said automatically, beaming at the scruffy cyber-journalist.

"Looks like quite a party," Logan said, indicating the improvised dance floor. He looked over at Alec, who was gingerly sitting Eve down on his knees. He looked worried that he might break her. "Making new friends?" Logan asked as the baby's legs began kicking energetically.

"What I do," Alec replied smoothly, looking up at the blue-eyed, bespectacled human.

"See, you're a natural," Normal told Alec encouragingly. "She loves you."

A grinning Gem looked up at Logan. "Hey. How's it going?"

"Good, everything's great," Logan replied. "How's Eve doing?"

"You can see for yourself," Gem said proudly. "She's thriving." She looked at Normal again. "Thanks for watching her for me."

"My pleasure," Normal replied graciously. Gem smiled and held out her hands to Alec, who swiftly placed the baby within her mother's reach. He looked extremely relieved.

"Okay, guys, I'm gonna head home. If I don't get her down now she won't sleep at all."

"We'll see you tomorrow," Max said warmly.

"Bright and early," Gem said with a nod. "Good night."

"Good night," the group replied as Gem walked out of Headquarters, where Mole was undoubtedly waiting.

"Damn, that boy's whipped," Alec mused.

"I'm not whipped," Logan muttered, thinking back to a conversation in the sewers.

"I was talking about Mole," Alec told him patiently. Logan didn't reply as Max looked from Alec to Logan and back again.

"Am I missing something?" she asked. Alec shook his head and handed the camera back to Sketchy.

"It's all good, Maxie," he assured her, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. "Who's up for another round? I'm buying."

"Sounds good," Max told him. "Make mine a beer."

"Normal?" Alec asked. "Logan? Sketch?" Sketchy immediately nodded.

"No, thanks," Logan replied politely as Normal also declined on the grounds that he had to chase after a group of reprobates the next day. Alec walked over to the makeshift bar, leaving an odd group in his wake – Logan, Max, Sketchy and Normal.

An awkward silence prevailed for a long moment.

"So how's business?" Logan asked finally.

"Good, really good," Normal replied quickly. No-one seemed to think of anything to say after that. A full minute passed without anyone talking.

"Little Fella!" Max had never been so relieved to see Joshua. The dog-man happily bounded over to the table with Original Cindy in tow.

"Hey, Big Fella." Max greeted Joshua with a hug that he enthusiastically returned. "Looks like you were having fun out there."

"Like dancing," Joshua gushed. "Like dancing very much. Good music!"

"This boy's got skills," OC told them with a smile and Joshua beamed at her praise.

"Max dance now?" Joshua asked. "You promised."

"Yeah, I promised," Max agreed with a smile. "Come on." She held out a hand and Joshua led her out into the crowd just as Alec returned with another glass of scotch and a pitcher of beer. He grinned when he saw where Max was headed.

"Guess this means you get Max's share," Alec offered, winking at OC.

"Damn straight," she agreed, holding out Max's glass for him to fill. With a chuckle, Alec began serving the drinks as everyone turned to watch their fearless leader dancing with Joshua. Even the usually serious Logan couldn't keep a straight face.

"Hey Sketch?" Alec caught the reporter's attention and made a quick clicking gesture with his fingers. Sketchy immediately snapped a few pictures of Max and the Big Fella and nodded at Alec.

"Doubles anyone?" Alec asked mischievously.

**Sector Four**

Far from Terminal City, a young woman was minding her own business as she strolled down the street. To anyone watching – anyone with a Y-chromosome, at least – she was quite an eyeful. She had long tousled blonde hair shot through with flashes of vivid purple, a beautiful face and the kind of body most women would gladly kill for. Dressed in tight low-slung jeans, a midriff-baring black singlet and black boots with a few pieces of simple silver jewellery, she looked like a punk rock devotee – but a classy one. She even moved gracefully, her hips swaying gently as she walked.

"Hey, pretty girl!" A man who'd had one too many drinks called out to her but she didn't slow down – she didn't even acknowledge that he'd opened his mouth. "I said – _Hey_!"

She finally stopped and turned around, one hand on her hip as she watched the beefy man approach her. He stunk of beer and cigarettes, the odour totally unappealing to her sensitive nose.

"What do you want, brain trust?" she asked impatiently.

"Just you, baby," he leered as he looked her up and down appreciatively.

"Keep dreaming, Sasquatch," she replied smoothly with a shake of her head as she turned away, intending to walk away from her red-faced, beer-bloated admirer.

"_Bitch_!" He raised his arm and took a swipe at his prey.

Naturally, the blow never landed.

The drunk found his wrist locked in a vice-like grip and the fingers squeezed until he cried out and sank to his knees, the pressure making the bones creak under his skin. The drunk suddenly found himself gazing into the most unnerving eyes he'd ever seen. They were a striking blue-green… and they were cold as ice. Belatedly realizing what he'd attacked, the drunk cowered.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry… _Arghh_!"

_Crunch_.


	2. Strange Little Lives

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N:** After careful consideration, I've decided to revise the timeline. In my universe, Skin Game and After The Dark _did not_ happen.

**Chapter 2: A Strange Little Life**

**Terminal City**

Two days after the party, Terminal City had returned to what passed for normal. As Max walked through the Mall, she looked at the 'freak nation' she was helping to build and couldn't suppress a small surge of pride. Everything was finally coming together.

Peace had been hard-won and it was still fragile. Police patrolled their borders, supposedly to protect the transgenics but no-one was buying it. Max and Alec had put in weeks of work with Ramon Clemente as their go-between to the higher-ups and it had paid off. Against all the odds they'd managed to find a peaceful solution. Now the transgenics were working together to improve Terminal City. It was amazing how much progress they'd made.

On that note, Max entered one of the newest establishments within the 'city'. The structure didn't look like much from the outside but inside its five rooms were filled with colour and light. Joshua had taken on the interior as a special project and his enthusiasm had been infectious. Max had ended up waving a paintbrush to help with the undercoats on the walls and in turn she'd recruited Alec, Gem and even Mole.

Finally Joshua had been informed that he was free to go wild and he'd done just that. The result had been incredible floor-to-ceiling abstract murals that fascinated anyone who saw them with myriad colours, textures and designs. The dog-man had never had so much space to work with and he'd devoted several weeks to the task so he could get it just right. Joshua was quietly proud of his achievement and Alec had somehow procured a long red ribbon to hang across the main entryway of the building. Alec had even invited Rita to Joshua's grand opening. Thus Joshua was able to unveil his masterpiece in style and hand the keys to its grateful new caretaker.

"Hey, Max. What's up?"

Turning around, Max found herself face-to-face with the appropriately-named Ember. A vivacious redhead with dark blue eyes, Ember was one of those people who could smile and light up a room. Ember preferred to put Manticore behind her to the best of her ability and concentrate on the hand she'd been dealt. Like many of her X5 brethren, she'd adapted quickly to life in the real world. In fact, she was doing better than most. She'd been pregnant when Manticore burned down and had given birth to a beautiful baby boy she'd named Bo almost a month before little Eve came into the world.

It had been Ember's idea to start the Terminal City nursery. She'd spent a good deal of her time on the outside reading everything she could get her hands on about pregnancy and raising children – something Manticore sure as hell hadn't trained her to do. As far as the citizens of TC were concerned, Ember was the resident baby expert. So far, only four of the transgenic mothers brought their children to the rainbow nursery. Some of the others were still stuck in soldier mode and were unwilling to trust anyone else with their children.

"What brings our fearless leader for a visit?" Ember asked brightly as she cradled Bo in one arm. The child fixed dark blue eyes on Max and blew a raspberry, making both women smile.

"I was looking for Joshua, actually," Max told her. "Is he around?"

"Sure, he's playing with the kids," Ember replied. "They're in the back room."

"Thanks," Max said quickly, making her way through to find the gentle giant.

Max had to smile when she found the Big Fella. Joshua was lying flat-out on his stomach, his head propped on one hand as three transgenic babies rolled around on the rug, all bright-eyed and alert, all with different parts of Joshua in their little hands.

They were all the result of the late Doctor Elizabeth's Renfro's breeding programme, the product of X5 pairs. Bo, Eve, Kyp and Cleo had become Joshua's newest inspiration and his smallest friends. Innocent and totally unafraid, the children all adored Joshua and he adored them in return.

"Hey, Big Fella," Max greeted him. Joshua looked up and his head jerked as Cleo, whose little hands were tangled in his long hair, refused to let go.

"Hey, Little Fella!" Joshua said happily, rolling over onto his back carefully. "Come to see tiny fellas?"

"I came to see you. The tiny fellas are a bonus," Max replied, beaming at the dog-man. "Did you have fun at the party?"

"Lots fun!" he replied enthusiastically. "Lots dancing. OC had fun too!"

"Yeah, she said you're a great dancer," Max said encouragingly. Joshua grinned up at her. "We'll have to have a bash more often."

"Cheers to that," Ember said as she walked in with Bo resting against her shoulder, looking around with wide eyes. "Everyone was wound so tight I thought they were gonna explode." She looked over at Joshua with a playful sparkle in her eyes. "And save me a dance next time, big guy. Your card was so full I couldn't elbow my way in."

"Should have danced with Jett," Joshua replied. "His card free."

"Jett?" Max asked curiously, not recognizing the name.

"He's kinda new around here," Ember explained. "Alec brought him in. He's the quiet type."

"Haven't met him," Max said with a shrug.

"He's been helping me set up in here," Ember told her. "He doesn't say much. He was in my unit at Manticore. He knocked Cain flat on his ass in training every time. It was great."

Max nodded in understanding. X5-452 had never really appreciated how lucky she'd been to have Alec assigned as her breeding partner until she met Ember. The redhead had been paired with an intimidating, muscular X5 named Cain.

Cain had been a unit leader back at Manticore and everyone agreed that he had a mean streak. He was a handsome specimen but his black eyes were cold and he'd made it clear that he had no tolerance for ordinaries. Orders or no, Max had a fair idea what it must have been like for Ember to be paired with such a nasty piece of work. Ember stayed well clear of him, unwilling to let him influence her son in any way.

A soft shuffling drew Max's attention to the next room. She peeked inside to find the little transhuman named Dix hooking up a surveillance camera. Ember had asked for the cameras to be installed as a precaution. The safety of the children was her paramount concern. Despite the fact that few outsiders dared enter Terminal City, the redhead refused to take any chances with the kids that had been dubbed 'X9'.

"Hey, Dix," Max greeted him softly and the little guy looked around and grinned.

"Hey, Max. Doin' the rounds?" he asked.

"As always," she shrugged. "How's it coming?"

"I should be finished in about an hour or so," Dix replied. "I wish we'd installed these before Joshua got his hand in, though. I have to be careful with drilling holes for the wiring in case I mess anything up."

"We'll keep that in mind next time, I promise," Max assured him with a small smile.

"Logan's here," Dix informed her. "He's checkin' out the tech with Luke at HQ. He said he has something to show you."

"Thanks," she said with a quick nod. "See you later." Dix merely nodded and went about his business again. Max moved back into the main room and hunkered down beside Joshua. She reached out and idly ruffled Kyp's fluffy blonde hair. The baby waved his arms energetically in response.

"So we're having a get-together at Cindy's place tonight," Max told the dog-man and he immediately looked up. "Do you wanna come? We're having mac and cheese."

"Mac and cheese?" He nodded quickly. "And little hot dogs?"

"Yeah, and little hot dogs," Max replied with a smile. "Does that mean you're in?"

"Joshua in!" he agreed.

"Cool. Be there at seven, okay?"

"Okay," Joshua nodded as Eve started tugging on his ear with one hand and pulling his hair with the other.

"Later, Big Fella. Be good." Max rose and looked over to where Ember was about to change Bo's nappy. "See ya, Ember."

"See ya, Max," Ember replied, wrinkling her delicate nose at the smell emanating from her son's lower half.

Max began heading towards Terminal City headquarters, greeting those she met along the way if she knew them. She sighed.

_I really need to work on that. How does Alec remember them all?_

Alec had quickly, though quite unexpectedly, established himself as her second-in-command. Stranger still, the partnership worked well. She'd grudgingly conceded that Alec had skills she didn't. He had ten years of training on her for a start and incredible learning abilities, even for an X5. He was like a sponge. Give him twenty-four hours and some incentive and he could become anything you needed him to be – a concert pianist, a rocket scientist… Hell, he'd learnt to speak fluent Russian in less than a day for a mission she'd sent him on a month earlier.

_Alec brains. Max heart._ Joshua had told her that and it rang true. After three months of close proximity, Max had begun to realize that half the reason Alec got into so much trouble was because he was intellectually bored. Before he'd shouldered the responsibilities of running TC's business enterprises, the only thing in his life that had presented a challenge was Max herself.

He still drove her crazy. Max didn't think he'd ever stop doing that and on some level she didn't want him to. Alec's teasing was familiar, even comfortable. She would never admit it to his face but she really liked the 'lovable X5 rogue' as Logan had once called him. She knew Alec would never let her call him her brother but he was family nonetheless… and she always looked out for her family.

She stepped into the Terminal City HQ building and weaved her way towards the tech room where Luke and Dix had set up their computer and monitoring stations.

"Hey, you," Max said with a smile as she came up behind Logan.

"Hey, yourself. Thought you'd better take a look at something Matt Sung sent my way," Logan explained, handing her a worn cardboard folder. She opened it to find photographs of a man's arm… or the purple, crushed remains of it, anyway. Max found herself wondering if it was still attached to its owner. If it was he'd never be able to use it again. She flipped past the photos to a set of x-rays. With transgenic vision she didn't need to hold them up to the light. The bones had been completely shattered. Max couldn't suppress a slight wince.

"So are you gonna tell me who hit this guy with a sledgehammer or am I supposed to guess?" she finally asked, looking up at the scruffy human expectantly.

"The guy's name is Jose Marquez," Logan told her. "He checked into Harbour Lights hospital two nights ago claiming that 'the bitch from hell' ground his bones into powder."

"It was a girl?" Max confirmed.

"Granted, the guy was drunk but he says it was definitely a female – blonde, early twenties…"

"He says it was a transgenic," Max finished for him, shaking her head. Logan merely nodded. "Probably an X5 if he got that close and didn't run screaming until after the fact." She closed the folder and handed it back to him. "Well I was at the party so that's one bitch off the list."

"You want me to ask around, see if we come up with any suspects?" Logan asked. Max shook her head.

"No, I'll get Alec to do it," she replied. "If he asks, it's kinky instead of suspicious."

"That's an interesting take on it but okay," Logan agreed reluctantly. "Do you want to show him the file?"

"Actually, yeah," Max said, taking the dossier back and tucking it under her arm. "I'll get Alec to make up a list and report back. He might as well be good for something. Thanks for giving us the heads up."

"No problem," Logan said easily. "See you tonight?"

"You better," she said with a smile. "Bye."

It was almost an hour before Max finally tracked Alec down. He was with a few of the male X5s, poring over building schematics. Max's lips twitched – trust Alec to start planning TC's next cash-in-a-flash excursion on the sly.

"Hey Alec, you got a minute?" Max asked. He looked up quickly and made his way over to her.

"Sure," he replied as his eyes fell on the folder she was holding. "You got somethin' for me?"

"A job," Max said simply, handing over the file. "We're looking for the blonde X5 female who stomped this guy into the ground. We need you to snoop around, see what you can find out."

"You think it's someone in TC?" he asked carefully.

"I hope not but we've still gotta ask," Max told him. "I thought it'd be better coming from you. Even if you don't find out who she is, if you can track down a lead it'd be a good start."

"You got it," Alec told her.

"So what's your angle this time?" Max asked, looking past him to the table where three X5s were still discussing their options.

"You wouldn't spoil my fun would you, Max?" Alec asked with a persuasive smile.

"Depends," she replied. "Am I gonna have to save your ass or have you got it covered this time?"

"It's not my ass I'm worried about, it's my shoulder," Alec confessed ruefully. "I'm sick of getting' shot through it."

"Then you'd better be careful," Max told him with a smile. Alec just grinned confidently.

"Always."


	3. Monsters Inc

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**Chapter 3: Monsters Inc.**

**Terminal City**

X5-494 smirked at his three transgenic accomplices as Max walked out of the building.

"Green light, boys," he announced with satisfaction as he dropped Max's folder onto the table.

"You're asking permission to get your ass shot off these days?" Rand asked with a chuckle.

"The shoulder, Rand," Alec corrected him patiently. "My ass is still intact."

"Just like your ego," Brax quipped. "Maybe we should just shoot him now and get it over with."

"Too many witnesses," Rand replied mischievously. "Maybe later."

"And bring Max down on _your_ ass instead? I don't think so," Alec told them, clearly relishing the idea of the feisty brunette turning her legendary temper on someone else for a change. It was well-known that she often used Alec as a sounding board, venting her frustrations on him. Thankfully Alec had the gumption to give her a good swift kick when she needed it. Only 494 could get into a fight with 452 and come out whistling a merry tune.

"All right, all right," Brax said ruefully. "Back to business. Are we doin' this or not?"

"I'm in," Rand replied swiftly. "And the pretty boy's a given since he thought it up."

"Hey, have you looked in the mirror lately?" Alec asked pointedly. Rand held up his hands in a gesture of surrender but grinned nonetheless. He and Alec had always been two of the most beautiful male specimens Manticore had produced but Rand had darker chestnut hair and blue eyes. Both of them were female-magnets. They taunted each other mercilessly but it was all in good fun.

"Jett?" Brax looked over at the only person who hadn't verbally contributed to the planning session.

Jett merely nodded, silently amused as he watched through the light brown hair that fell around his eyes. He rarely spoke, a habit gained from years of being beaten down for speaking out of turn. It was amazing how much he could communicate without words though. His expressions and gestures spoke for him. Alec, Brax and Rand had learned to read him particularly well.

Many people underestimated Jett because he was quiet. They assumed that he was deficient or shy beyond belief – the kind of person they could take advantage of or intimidate. When people tried, they got a nasty surprise. Jett had been one of Manticore's best soldiers but even the residents of TC ignored him for the most part.

"Okay, we're set," Alec said, clapping his hands together. "Now, I have an errand to run so I'll see you all tomorrow night." He picked up the folder and flashed his trademark cocky grin as he strolled out of the room.

"What do you think he's up to?" Brax asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Well Max put him up to it so it can't be anything too terrible," Rand observed with a shrug. "She's trying to make us legit, remember?"

"Is that why she approved our little excursion?" Brax countered as he rolled up the building plans. Jett chuckled at that remark.

"Does Shaine know about this?" Rand asked innocently. Brax shook his head and grinned.

"Nope. I'll tell her after we've pulled it off."

"I guess we'd better keep you in one piece too, then," Rand said with a sigh. "I don't want Max _and_ Shaine on my back. I don't think I'd survive."

"I don't think Manticore created even one female without a temper," Brax said. "She's cute when she's angry though."

"Yeah, 'cause dying young is all the rage right now," Rand said blandly.

"Wait 'til your turn comes, man," Brax warned wickedly.

"Ouch." Rand winced. "I think I'll leave while that wonderful thought is still fresh in my mind."

The men parted ways amiably with Brax holding the schematics for safe-keeping. Jett's afternoon was pretty bare so he took his time wandering back to his place. A flash of fire caught his eye and he paused to take in the view.

Jett watched Ember as she walked across to the building she lived in. Like everyone else, she was blissfully unaware of him, her attention focused on her wriggling son. He had managed to latch onto her wild red-gold hair and she was disentangling him as gently as possible.

Back at Manticore, Ember had always worn her hair in a no-nonsense braid so that it didn't get in her way. Now, in the real world, she always wore it loose in an unruly mass of waves and curls. It was as if her hair couldn't make up its mind which way it wanted to go. He'd always liked that, always wished he could reach out and touch it.

He also knew she'd probably punch him if he tried it. After the way Cain had treated her back at Manticore, he wouldn't blame her. He wondered if she realized that was why he always beat Cain when it came down to a fight – he couldn't take on the hateful X5 without wanting to hurt him _badly_. In the past the guards at Manticore, the trainers, had forced him to hold back.

On the heels of that foreboding thought, Jett turned and continued on his way.

**Max's Apartment, Terminal City – 6:30pm**

Even though Max had only given Alec his assignment that morning, Max found herself pacing the floor of her apartment impatiently as she waited to hear from him. The handsome X5 invariably worked fast on anything of importance. She wanted an update before she left for Original Cindy's place.

Just when her temper was about to flare, there was a quick knock on the door. As usual, Alec didn't wait for a response. He merely opened the door and sauntered in, flashing a smile in her direction. Max didn't bother blasting him for his lack of manners.

"I wasn't sure I'd catch you before you left," he told her. Max decided not to tell him she'd been waiting to hear from him. "You headin' over to Cindy's soon?"

"In a few minutes. Get anything?" Max asked hopefully. Alec shook his head and dropped the file onto the couch.

"I don't think it was anybody in TC. Most of the females were at the bash and the others don't fit the description," Alec replied. "We've got nothing."

"Thanks for trying anyway," Max said with a sigh. "At least we've got plausible deniability."

"I don't think Uncle Sam's gonna buy that line, Max," Alec cautioned her. "A petite blonde crushes a guy's arm and we say 'It wasn't me'? That's kinda juvenile."

Max's eyes twinkled. "You're stonewalling juvenile actions? Who are you and what have you done with Alec?"

"I'm serious, Max," Alec told her, refusing to rise to the bait. "This could blow up in our faces. It was tough enough talking the military down the first time around."

"You think I should talk to Clemente?" she mused, looking up at him.

"I think you should let him make the first move," Alec replied. "You got that info from Logan, right?"

"Yeah, Matt Sung slipped it to him," Max confirmed.

"So the cops don't know we know," he surmised. "Not officially, anyway. That gives us some time to dig a little more. I'll keep trying to track something down."

"Thanks," Max told him sincerely, giving him a weak smile. "We've got enough problems without adding a blonde with impulse-control issues."

"And what's wrong with blondes?" Alec asked, his trademark smirk firmly in place. Max couldn't help grinning.

"Don't even get me started."

**Original Cindy's Apartment, Sector Five **

Max and Alec arrived at Cindy's apartment to find they weren't the first arrivals.

"Hey there," Logan greeted her as he opened the door, his blue eyes warm as they rested on her face. Max smiled. Cindy was in the background, putting the finishing touches on her culinary efforts. Alec inhaled appreciatively.

"Hey yourself," Max replied. Logan's gaze moved to Alec, the question in his eyes unmistakable. Logan had been weird about Max being in the younger man's company ever since she'd told him that ludicrous 'I'm with Alec' story. Max had eventually set him straight but Alec was getting sick of Logan looking at him like a bug he wanted to drown in Raid… and squash… and possibly set alight just to be sure he'd gotten the job done. True or not, Max's little white lie had done more damage than she wanted to admit. Logan no longer trusted Alec within twenty feet of his biohazard girlfriend. Alec's patience was wearing thin.

Sensing the tension, Max moved over to stand beside Logan. He smiled up at her and for the first time Alec realized Logan had come prepared. He was wearing several layers of white rubber gloves so that he could touch Max without keeling over. Alec refrained from rolling his eyes.

_Ah, puppy love_, he thought idly as he stepped over the threshold.

"Hey, Cindy. What's cookin'?" Alec asked innocently, greeting their host in his usual friendly manner as she bustled over to greet her newest guests.

"Like you don't know," she replied playfully as she pulled Max into a hug. "Transgenic sense o' smell and all."

Alec grinned as Cindy steered the group into the dining area.

"So are we just waiting for Josh?" Alec asked.

"Already here, Medium Fella." Caught off-guard, Alec spun around to smile up at the transhuman and give him an affectionate slap on the shoulder.

"You get on in here, boo, and have a seat," Cindy told Josh, who'd emerged from the bathroom. "Dinner's ready. You're just in time."

"Thanks," Joshua said. "Thanks for h-having me."

"Of course, boy, it wouldn't be the same without you," she assured him, making Joshua beam down at her.

"It looks great, OC," Logan told her.

"Perfect," Joshua praised her, remembering what she'd said to him at his first dinner party. Cindy smiled at him gratefully.

"Well, don't just stand there. Sit down and eat up, people," she instructed them. Not daring to disobey the chef, everyone quickly slid into their seats.

**A Nightclub in Sector Five**

Despite the chill of a Seattle night, people had lined up for almost a block to enter the large building in Sector Five. Women quivered, their teeth chattering loudly. Men bravely tried to pretend they couldn't feel it, that they wouldn't rather be somewhere warm with a beer and a hot pizza.

The golden-haired beauty who strolled calmly past the waiting masses kept her gaze fixed on the intimidating African-American bouncer standing at the door. A small smile touched her lips. She'd spent the last few nights charming him into her back pocket and now she had an all-access pass to the hottest nightclub in town.

She'd decided to put some effort into her appearance tonight. Her purple-streaked hair tumbled wildly around her shoulders, setting off the vivid crimson halter and low-slung black trousers that led to high, spindly black heels. Long gold earrings with ruby-coloured beads completed the outfit. The cold had never bothered her, so where others shivered helplessly she could stride in like the cat she was.

Where had she heard that blondes were born to wear red?

"Well, well…" Boom Boom said, looking the blonde bombshell up and down appreciatively. "Aren't we lookin' fine tonight?"

"Just tonight?" she asked with a sultry smile as she approached him. Her blue-green eyes sparkled as she moved past him, her hip brushing his thigh. She paused in the doorway and tossed her golden hair back over her shoulder with a saucy wink. Boom Boom shook his head in admiration as she swept inside.

The strident music immediately assaulted her. Like any transgenic, she had the ears of a cat and what was merely loud to an ordinary was deafening to her. For a moment she stilled and mentally turned the volume down. Over the past few nights she'd developed the skill, learned to psychologically dull the noise. It was proving to be invaluable.

She scanned the crowd briefly and inhaled slowly, picking out the individual scents as she moved into the crush. Sweat, alcohols… perfume? Who the hell could afford perfume? She rolled her eyes. Probably some airhead prima donna from a rich family.

She closed her eyes and let the rhythm of the music sink into her skin. If only Lydecker could see her now. The old man would probably have a stroke at the idea of one of his kids looking for some action in a nightclub. The thought made her smile. He'd have thrown her into solitary confinement for a week just to drive the point home.

She began walking through the crowd, searching restlessly for someone who appealed to her. Several men approached her, all drunk and overconfident. They reminded her of that beer-swollen Neanderthal who'd tried to hit her a couple of nights before. He would never raise a hand to a woman again. She'd made sure he couldn't.

Her eyes finally rested on a darkly good-looking young man who couldn't have been more than a year or two older than she was. He'd clearly been watching her for a while before she saw him. He closed the distance between them as she let her eyes run up and down the length of him. She didn't bother about being subtle – she knew what they both wanted. A slow, sexy smile curved her lips.

He opened his mouth to introduce himself. She shook her head and pressed a finger to his lips, her blue-green eyes holding him still.

"I won't ask if you don't."


	4. Cornered

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews! I think I'd better clear something up too – the whole Max/Alec thing is a slow burn. It may even take more than one story because I'm writing this as the first of a series. Let's face it – nothing's ever easy with those two!** 

**Chapter 4: Cornered**

**Terminal City**

It had been dark for about an hour when Cain strode down the main 'street' of Terminal City. There weren't many people about at this time of night. Most were having dinner. Only the guards were out, but even with his transgenic sight Cain wouldn't have been able to see them unless they wanted him to. They'd perfected the art of blending into the structures around the perimeter so they could shoot without being shot at.

He'd deliberately chosen this particular time to approach his quarry.

Cain was one of the biggest X5s in Terminal City. He was designed for strength, taller than the average and muscular. Several others had been created along the same lines but Cain had always considered himself to be the best of them. He gave off an aura of danger and women threw themselves at him for that very reason. But while he helped himself when he felt like it, he wasn't really focused on any of them. He wanted Ember - simply because she didn't want him. It pissed him off. She was his breeding partner, chosen for _him_. In his eyes, that made her his.

Only one person watched Cain's progress, his dark eyes fixed on the smug-looking male. Jett had been returning from the nursery. Dix had been called away to fix one of the computers at HQ so Jett had taken it upon himself to finish hooking up the cameras.

He watched Cain enter Ember's building through narrowed eyes, the hair on the back of his neck rising as every instinct went on alert. He shook himself. It was none of his business. Cain couldn't – wouldn't – possibly be stupid enough to try anything. He continued on his way but with every step the feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach seemed to intensify.

Cain knocked on the door of Ember's third-storey abode and waited. He heard her moving around inside as she hurried to answer it. He had a fair idea of what her reaction to him was going to be and as the door swung open she didn't disappoint.

"No way," she said instantly, her eyes cold as she made to slam the barrier in his face. His hand snapped out and stopped her, forcing the door to open wide as he stepped inside.

"What's the matter, Em? Aren't you happy to see me?" Cain's voice grated on Ember's nerves.

"Stop calling me Em. I hate that and you know it," Ember warned him angrily. She carefully interposed her body between Cain and her son, sleeping in his rather unconventional cot on the other side of the room. All she wanted to do was wipe that smirk off Cain's face but she couldn't risk a confrontation with Bo in the vicinity. The child could easily get caught in the crossfire and Ember was smart enough to realize that if Cain actually got his hands on her, it was quite possible that he could overpower her. Transgenic didn't equate to invincible.

Cain's expression hardened.

"Why do you keep fighting me?" he asked angrily.

"Why do you keep pushing?" Ember replied in the same tone. "I've had enough of this shit. We're not at Manticore any more."

"So they keep telling me," Cain observed. "But that's still my son." He looked over at the cot. "And you're still my mate."

"I am not your mate!" Ember hissed. "And if you get any closer to my son, I'll rip your head _and_ your dick off."

"Come on, baby. You don't want me to get angry now, do you?" Cain said, his voice deceptively mild as he approached her.

"Rape isn't enough? You've gotta add threatening children to your list of sins?"

"Variety's the spice of life, Em. Didn't you know that?" He reached out to grab her and Ember dodged his seeking hands, trying to get as far away from Bo as she could. She lashed out, catching Cain with a punch to the jaw but he grabbed her arm and backhanded her across the cheek. She looked back just in time to see a figure blur through the door and literally throw Cain into the wall with enough force to break ordinary bones. The crash frightened Bo, who began crying in the background. Only Cain's transgenic reflexes allowed him to land on his feet.

Cain's eyes narrowed slightly as he realized who'd intervened. His weight balanced on the balls of his feet, hands fisted in anticipation, Jett radiated menace as his dark eyes fixed on his larger opponent. Ember circled around behind Jett, her cheek already bruised, but he didn't even glance in her direction.

"Are you both okay?" Jett asked quietly.

"We're fine," she replied softly as she came to stand in front of Bo's cot.

"Good. Get him out." Ember didn't hesitate. She snatched up her son and blurred out of the apartment without a backward glance.

"This is none of your business, Jett," Cain warned. "Walk away."

The only response was a slight twitch of Jett's lips – the kind that meant Cain was being laughed at. For a moment neither of the X5s moved, watching each other carefully.

"Scared?" Jett taunted softly.

The two transgenics moved at exactly the same moment, blurring into combat with a ferocity that had been building for almost two years. For the first time, the two males were in a no-holds-barred brawl with one of their own kind. Fists and feet flew as they threw strikes and blocked them, trying to counter each other. It was Cain's strength against Jett's speed and Jett had taken the win more times than Cain could tolerate.

A hard punch to the side of Jett's face sent him sprawling onto the floor. He used his momentum to roll backwards, feet over his head, into a crouch. Cain smiled with satisfaction as Jett spat out a mouthful of blood and sprang at him, his anger momentarily overtaking his judgement.

Cain lashed out with a front kick. Jett felt his ribs break, agony lancing through his chest as he was thrown back against the wall. Forcing himself to ignore the pain, Jett drew in a deep breath and threw himself to his left to avoid a kick to the head. He turned as Cain's boot connected with the wall and drove his foot into the side of Cain's knee. Cain swore as he spun away from Jett, who'd executed a _kip_ into a standing position despite of the pain.

With his broken ribs giving him hell, Jett's attention wandered for a split-second. It was all the time Cain needed to kick him just above his left hip, making him bend over abruptly. Jett bit out a curse as Cain took advantage and bodily threw him towards Ember's wooden dinner table. Jett tried to twist in mid-air, hoping to land on his feet but his injuries had him off-balance. Jett braced himself for the impact.

The table splintered down the middle and Jett found himself on the ground surrounded by pieces of broken wood. He moved just in time to evade Cain's leg strike and rolled into a spinning star kip, catching Cain hard in the stomach as he completed the motion and came to his feet. Cain doubled over and Jett took the opportunity to drive his fist into the side of Cain's head with devastating force. Pain exploded into Cain's head and he staggered.

Jett kept coming. Blow after blow landed, blood running down Cain's face from cuts across his hairline, his nose and lips.

"_Jett, stop_!" Cain vaguely recognized Brax as he rushed in and tried to pull Jett away from Cain. Jett didn't pay any attention. He delivered an open-handed strike to Brax's chest that sent him reeling backward, winded, into Ember, who was right behind him.

"_Jett_!" Ember cried out.

As Jett advanced on him, Cain belatedly realized he'd lost to Jett – again. He grabbed Cain by the hair and forced his head down to meet his rising knee. His nose shattered, Cain sunk to his knees, a familiar coppery taste filling his mouth.

Jett threw him face-down onto the floor and planted his right knee firmly on Cain's spine. His right hand held Cain's arm twisted up against his back and the other was wrapped around the back of his neck. He lifted Cain's torso up off the floor so that the X5 had no room to manoeuvre, no way to escape Jett's restraining grasp.

"Jett –" Cain choked, trying desperately to get free.

"_Quiet_!" Jett snarled, his grip on Cain's neck tightening so that he could feel the vertebrae grind under the pressure. Jett could snap his neck and no-one would be able to stop him. Cain knew it and he forced himself to relax, to stop struggling. Several other transgenics congregated outside the door, drawn by the ruckus.

"If you come anywhere near Ember or Bo again," Jett threatened menacingly, "I'll snap your neck. Understand?" When Cain didn't respond, Jett viciously twisted his arm and made the fallen transgenic snarl in pain. "_Understand_?"

"I understand," Cain ground out.

"Good. Now get out." Jett abruptly released Cain and stood over him as he carefully got to his feet, a bloodied, broken mess. He glared at Jett for a long moment.

"Don't make me tell you again," Jett warned, heedless of his own injuries.

Two X5s quickly took Cain's arms and half-dragged the beaten transgenic out of Ember's trashed apartment. Brax and Ember stared at Jett in consternation. He was still standing but they doubted that would last long. He had a gaping cut along his eyebrow that was bleeding profusely and his lips and chin were stained a dark red from the blood in his mouth. Purpling bruises were starting to stand out against his skin and he looked pale.

"Jesus…" Ember whispered, her blue eyes fixed on his face. Jett merely shrugged.

"Come on. Let's clean you up," Brax said. He stood aside so that Jett could pass him and looked back at Ember. "I'll be back in a while to fix the place up, okay?"

"Okay," Ember agreed, her concerned gaze still following Jett as he walked out of her door. "Tell him I'll be around later to talk to him."

**Sector Five**

_Purrrr-fect_.

A dark-haired young man was carrying her up the street, her legs wrapped around his waist, his hands curving around her backside in a shameless display that would have made any cold-blooded conservative blush. If he was this good at kissing, she couldn't wait to get back to his place. It was almost a shame he was an ordinary.

The sound of a bin being kicked over momentarily distracted her. It was at least half a block away.

_Damn transgenic hearing_, she thought as she brought her more-than-willing mind to the man at hand. She ran a hand over the muscles of his arm, letting her nails trail over the fabric of his shirt. His grip on her tightened and she smiled against his lips. Her other arm was curled around his shoulders, her hair falling around them like a curtain.

A muffled yelp once again intruded on her consciousness.

_Not now!_ she thought irritably. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was whimpering. It just set her teeth on edge. She felt her handsome companion press her against the brick wall of a building as his hands worked their way up under her shirt.

"Hey! Let go of me… Get off!"

The blonde cursed under her breath and pushed away from the wall, her sensitive ears quickly establishing the position of the scuffle ruining her concentration. She gracefully disentangled herself from him and ran a hand over his chest, fingers splayed as she put a few inches of space between them.

"I'll be right back," she whispered seductively, holding his gaze for a long moment. He swallowed hard and nodded obediently, turning to watch as she strode purposefully down the street and turned the corner. Silent as a cat despite her high heels, she approached the two men trying to mug a young woman.

_Let's even up the odds, boys_, she thought with a hint of a predatory smile, the rising wind whipping her pale gold hair so that it obscured her features for a moment. The young woman saw her approaching and her fiercely green eyes widened in a wordless warning to stay away. The blonde didn't pay any attention.

The two men were both tall and muscular, the kind of people no-one in their right mind should ever try to confront. They made their victim, with her cascade of wavy light brown hair, seem fragile in comparison. Yet the transgenic they'd pissed off didn't care.

She'd learned long ago that size didn't matter – even among transgenics, if you knew what you were doing. Fighting dirty had always been a specialty of hers.

She swept in like an avenging angel. The first man never felt the powerful sucker punch to the back of the head that sent him reeling. A split-second later a vicious hook kick connected with the second man's jaw, the crack audible as his teeth splintered. They both hit the pavement within a heartbeat of each other, the second one still conscious enough to try to crawl away from her on all fours, blood and teeth flowing from his mouth like a river. She grabbed him by the shoulder and flipped him onto his back, planting the heel of her stiletto dangerously close to his groin as she glared down at him balefully.

"I don't ever want to see you or your friend again. Got it?" He nodded frantically. After a moment, she took a step back and put her hands on her hips. "Get lost – both of you."

He got awkwardly to his feet and began dragging his unconscious accomplice away as quickly as he could with both young women watching them.

"Th – thank you," the girl stammered. "That was unreal." Her tone became lighter, admiration creeping into her voice. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"I'm part of a neighbourhood watch program," the blonde replied without missing a beat, as if that explained everything. "You know. Do unto others and all that jazz."

The girl honestly had no idea whether she was being sarcastic or serious. At a loss, she held out a hand.

"I'm Abby," she said, her manner friendly. The blonde seemed to consider Abby for a moment before she shook the offered hand. She found herself liking this ordinary – she had spunk.

"Nice to meet you, Abby," she replied with a genuine smile. "Watch your back in future, huh?"

"Sure," Abby replied automatically, still a little shell-shocked as the mystery girl turned and walked away as if she didn't have a care in the world. It was almost a full minute before she resumed her journey home. Her apartment was only a half-block away.

_Danny is never going to believe this_.


	5. Say Cheese

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**Chapter 5: Say Cheese**

**Original Cindy's Apartment**

Logan Cale had always prided himself on his ability to handle himself at a dinner party but never in his life had he felt completely invisible at one.

It was ridiculous. He knew the four people spread across the couches well, had spent months fighting the good fight by their side. Dinner had been finished quickly and now they were all sitting around having a drink. As usual, Alec had a glass of scotch in his hand as he sat on the arm of the couch. On Alec's right Joshua was drinking plain orange juice. Alcohol had never been the gentle giant's thing and Cindy had kindly anticipated that, getting the juice especially for him with Max's help. Cindy herself was on Joshua's other side, talking animatedly with the two males. She and Max and Logan were all helping themselves to the beer Alec had contributed using some of his apparently never-ending supply of cash.

Max sat by Logan's side on the couch opposite the others, leaning forward with a beer in her hand and a smile on her face. He gazed at her face for a long moment, taking in every detail. She was the most singularly beautiful creature he'd ever encountered. With that near-black hair and velvet dark eyes, she was striking enough but when you threw in full lips and bronzed skin she was breathtaking. She definitely had an affinity for the urban combat look – boots, jeans and tank tops were the staple in her wardrobe. Some night call her a bad ass but she had a softer side, one he felt privileged to have seen. Trust didn't come easily for her.

_Trust. _He hated that word lately, mainly because he knew he was being unreasonable in that respect to at least one person in the room. It had been over three months since Max had told him she was with Alec. She'd finally admitted that it had been a lie, a ploy to keep him at a distance. She said she'd done it to protect him and he'd forgiven her without any hesitation and with a good deal of relief.

Alec was a different story, or so he kept telling himself. Logan had never really liked Alec. He'd gotten along with him because he knew Max cared about him in a weird 'you're-my-psychotic brother's-twin-so-I'll-keep-you-out-of-trouble' way. Max had told him not to be angry at Alec for not saying anything. She claimed that Alec hadn't known until the day he'd brought the computer parts to Sandeman's house, that the hazel-eyed transgenic hadn't appreciated being put in that position. Logan had a hard time believing it. Alec had always had an eye for the ladies with the looks and charisma to back it up.

_A happy-go-lucky sociopath_, Logan had once called him.

At that moment, Alec was telling his rapt audience a story about one of his transgenic friends, an X5 named Biggs who'd been lynched and killed not long before the Jam Pony siege. He had Cindy, Max and Joshua in stitches and whenever he started using phrases Joshua didn't understand all three would stop and patiently explain it to him. It was the kind of scene he knew Max loved. All she'd ever wanted for Joshua was safety and acceptance. At Original Cindy's apartment, the transhuman had both in spades.

Logan looked down at the glass of beer in his hand. He'd barely touched it. Wine was really more his style, yet another thing that made him feel out of place. The other four people in the room all seemed to be in step with each other, chiming in with witty remarks and laughter in all the right places.

"Smooth, Alec, real smooth," Max said teasingly as he finished spinning his tale.

"McDowell. Alec McDowell," he said, deliberately deepening his voice and putting on an English accent.

Max and Cindy burst into laughter and Alec grinned as he leaned down to share the joke with Joshua. After a few moments the dog-man's soft chuckles added a bass thread to Max and Cindy's lighter tones. Logan breathed deeply. No one had noticed that he wasn't joining in. Even Max was oblivious, her attention centred on the people in front of her.

"So are you plannin' on having some fun a little more often after that party?" Cindy asked. "Things were wound pretty tight in that city o' yours."

"I think we can arrange that," Alec agreed easily. "Seeing Mole dance was worth it on its own."

"When's Sketchy getting those prints back?" Max asked.

"A couple of days," Alec shrugged. "He still had some film left. Knowing him, he'll spot a hot girl and go wild."

"That's our Sketch," Cindy conceded with a shake of her head that set her mass of curls bouncing.

"As long as he looks but doesn't touch," Alec told her. "Otherwise he'll be at work with a handprint on his face."

"Way to advertise Jam Pony," Max quipped. "Slap me – I'm an idiot!"

Alec, who'd just taken a sip of his scotch, coughed as he tried not to laugh at Max's remark.

"Go easy on the guy, Maxie," he defended Sketchy. "He's not that bad."

"It takes all kinds to make a world, boo." Cindy backed Alec up.

"Sorry, guys," Max said quickly. "But come on, Sketchy does do some pretty stupid stuff."

"Well, okay, I can't argue that," Alec conceded as a low ringing interrupted the conversation. Alec glanced apologetically at Cindy as he pulled the phone out of his jacket pocket. "Sorry about this. I'll be as quick as I can."

"It's cool, boo. Take your time," Cindy replied with a smile. Alec gave her a grateful smile and moved to the other side of the room, lifting the cell phone to his ear as he did so.

"Hello? Mole? Yeah, what's up?" A pause. "You've gotta be kidding." He waited again as Mole continued talking. "Fantastic," Alec drawled sarcastically. "At least tell me Jett won." A smirk as Mole replied, then a sigh. "Yeah, we'll be there as soon as we can. Thanks for the heads up. Bye."

"What's going on?" Max asked in concern as Alec returned to the table.

"Cain went primitive on Ember and Jett decided to play hero," he told her.

"Is she all right?" Max asked quickly.

"She's fine but Cain and Jett aren't," he replied. "They did a lot of damage to each other so they're both in the infirmary. We've gotta get back to TC before it gets any uglier."

"What are they gonna do? Throw bandages at each other?" Max asked as she got to her feet.

"I'm more worried about Cain's sidekicks," Alec told her. "They're as bad as he is. If Cain can't get to Jett, they'll try to save him the trouble." He looked over at Cindy. "We're gonna have to blaze. Sorry to run out on you like this."

"Hey, it ain't your fault two of your boys got testosterone poisoning," Cindy shrugged, standing up so that she could say goodbye to her friends. She enfolded Max in a long hug and then surprised everyone when she let Alec give her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Thanks for dinner, OC. It was great," Alec told her with one of his winning smiles as he picked up his jacket and started putting it on.

"Any time," OC replied. "Now get on outta here." She good-naturedly ushered them out of the door.

"How bad is it?" Max asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Mole didn't have much time to fill me in but he sounded worried," Alec replied as he searched his pockets for the keys to his lime-green Bandit. They were outside in no-time and Max suddenly looked back up the stairs.

"I left my jacket inside," she said, moving to go back for it.

"Hold up," Alec told her. He slid his jacket off again and tossed it to her.

"Such a gentleman," Max said wryly as she stuck her arms in the sleeves and shrugged it onto her shoulders, grateful for its warmth. Alec's body heat had already permeated it. His scent reached her – a fresh, slightly spicy smell – and Max inhaled without thinking about what she was doing. She swung a leg over her Ninja and fired it up.

"Ready?" she asked. He glanced back at her and grinned.

"You have to ask?"

**Terminal City Infirmary**

Ember strode into the Infirmary a few hours after the confrontation that had trashed her apartment and broken some of her furniture. The fight had roused most of Terminal City. Ember had been stared at most of the way and she sighed as she ran into the resident medic in the hall.

"Hey, Sari," Ember greeted the female X5. "You wanna point me in the right direction?"

"Jett? Third on the right," Sari replied. "Don't mind the bodyguards. Brock and Vance have been throwing their weight around."

"Thanks," Ember said. She quickly found out what Sari meant by bodyguards. Rand and Brax were standing outside Jett's door. Rand saw her first and smiled.

"I take it that means he's alive," she surmised.

"Seven broken ribs, a wrenched hip and more bruises than I like. He'll be okay in a week or two," Rand told her. "Are you and Bo okay?" He was looking at the welt across her cheek.

"Yeah. Shaine's looking after Bo," Ember replied. "It took a while to calm him down."

"How's your apartment looking?" Brax asked.

"Like ground zero," she replied. "Is he awake?"

"Yeah, go on in," Rand told her, stepping aside so she could pass. She closed the door behind her.

"What do you think? Is she gonna blast him or kiss him?" Brax asked.

"Twenty says she doesn't do either because she didn't have a clue until a few hours ago," Rand replied, shaking his head.

"You're on," Brax said. The two transgenics settled themselves on either side of the door and waited.

When Jett saw her, his gaze sought hers as he sat up awkwardly. She shook her head in alarm, moving to stop him but he held up a hand to halt her. She knew it had to be hurting him to move, especially with the damage to his hip and ribs.

"You're stubborn, aren't you?" she sighed. Jett nodded ruefully as she approached him, her eyes thoughtful. He was a mess. He had bandages around his chest but the rest of the skin she could see was marred by cuts and purpling bruises. His left cheek and eye were puffy, his bottom lip split in two places.

"Not your best look," she said. Jett rolled his eyes and shifted restlessly, wincing as his ribs protested the movement. "Would you listen if I told you to lie back down?" He shook his head negatively. "Okay then. Listen…thanks for what you did for me," she told him sincerely. "You didn't have to do that."

He may not have said anything but the look in his eyes refuted her words more effectively than any verbal protest he could have made. Ember finally gathered the courage to ask the question on the tip of her tongue. She'd have come down straight away but she had to get her thoughts in order first.

"Why'd you do it?" she asked gently. Jett's dark eyes softened and he reached out to carefully trace the dark bruise on her cheek. His touch was feather-light, a tingle across her skin. His fingers moved across her jaw, his thumb stroking softly. When he finally pulled his hand away, Ember swallowed hard and pursed her lips for a moment. She finally nodded and looked down at the floor.

"Right," she said softly. "I uh… I've gotta go." She walked out of the room, feeling Jett's intense gaze on her back long after she'd gone.

"Hand it over," Rand told Brax, holding out his hand expectantly. Grumbling, Brax pulled a twenty dollar note out of his wallet and gave it to Rand.

"Nothing's ever easy for our kind, is it?" Brax asked, feeling bad for Jett as Ember walked past them and down the hall without a word.

**Crash**

Sketchy walked into Crash at around midnight and pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head. He'd spent the last couple of hours chasing down a lead about a transgenic attacking a drunk, hoping he could break the story wide open. Besides, he had that leftover film. Sadly, no-one had been willing to talk to him about it. Finally admitting defeat (for the night anyway) he'd decided he needed a drink.

He spotted several people he knew and made his way over, happy to see some friendly faces.

"Hey, guys," he greeted them.

"Sketchy," Herbal Thought said with a bright smile, immediately drawing him into the circle of bicycle messengers from Jam Pony. "Itsabouttimeyoushowedupmanwhereyoubeen?" the Rastafarian said in his customary unintelligible speech. Sky immediately moved over to give Sketchy room as Herbal dragged another stool over.

"I've been trying to chase down this story I heard about," Sketchy admitted. "Nobody's talkin', though. It sucks."

"Wellhaveadrinkmanandletthemosthighworryabouttherestoftheworld," Herbal replied, handing him a beer. Sketchy thankfully took a few swallows and sighed.

"That's the plan," he agreed. "Anyone up for pool?"

"I'm in," Sky volunteered.

"Sweet," Sketchy said, getting to his feet again. He and Sky were on their way to the table when a flash of colour caught his eyes.

"Oh my God…" he drawled as his eyes focused on a cream-complexioned dream sitting at the bar. He let his eyes wander over her and a smile lit up his face. A red halter, black high heels and piercing eyes that rested on him for just a moment as her gaze wandered around the bar. She was the kind of woman that made men trip over themselves in her presence.

Sketchy fumbled for the camera hanging around his neck and immediately snapped a photograph of the striking creature with her tousled halo of pale gold hair. A small smile graced her lips, giving her the look of a satisfied cat. When she didn't appear to take any notice, he used the rest of the film as she got to her feet and threw a couple of notes onto the bar. She smiled at the barman and finally made her way to the door.

_Damn…_ Sketchy thought wistfully.


	6. One Little Girl

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**Chapter 6: One Little Girl**

**Terminal City Infirmary**

"All this over a chick?" Alec shook his head and whistled. "We weren't designed to be chumps, Jett. Couldn't you have just kneecapped him so we weren't a man down for the heist?"

Jett gave him a withering look.

"Yeah, I know," Alec said with a sigh. "I'd have pounded him too but your timing could use work." Jett had to concede that point and Alec knew it. "Any suggestions for your replacement?"

Jett's lips quirked knowingly in response.

"Serious suggestions, Jett," Alec told him. Jett's eyebrows rose slightly. "No way," Alec reiterated.

The injured X5 folded his arms across his chest gingerly and snorted.

"Hey, I don't need Max looking over my shoulder, okay?"

Jett looked at him innocently, as if to say 'Was I talking about Max?'

Alec chuckled in response. He'd walked right into that one.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Alec asked, regarding Jett in amusement. Jett nodded sagely. "Okay, changing the subject - you should know that Brock and Vance are gunnin' for you," Alec continued.

Jett rolled his eyes at that inevitability.

"Brax and Rand are watchin' your back but it's gonna be a different story once you're outta here," Alec cautioned him. Jett inclined his head slightly, acknowledging the truth of Alec's words. "Good," Alec said. He absent-mindedly searched the pockets of his jeans and an annoyed look flashed across his handsome features.

"Shit, my jacket…" Alec muttered. "Max has it."

Jett started to laugh and immediately wheezed instead as pain shot through his chest, causing him to cough instead.

"Serves you right," Alec said as he strode out the door, determined to get his phone back. That, more than the jacket, was a necessity. He'd just turned the corner in the hall when he spotted two large, angry transgenic males striding towards him.

_Here we go_, Alec thought ruefully as Brock and Vance approached. _Three, two, one_…

"Out of the way, 494," Brock growled.

"Sorry, boys, no pets allowed. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave," Alec said calmly.

"You and what army?" Vance demanded.

"This one," a deep voice replied. Brock looked over his shoulder to find Mole looming behind them with Brax and Rand at his side.

"You can't hide him forever," Brock said angrily.

"I'm sure I could work something out," Alec replied brightly.

Brock and Vance exchanged a mutinous look. Alec watched them closely. He could see the wheels turning in their minds. Finally they stalked off down the hall.

"Somethin' wrong, pretty boy?" Mole asked, seeing the thoughtful look on Alec's face.

"That was way too easy," he said. "Since when do those two back down like that?"

**Ember's Apartment**

Max was surveying the damage to Ember's apartment as they straightened the place up.

"I thought X5s were smarter than this," Max groused.

"They usually are until the hormones kick in," Kestrel observed as she carefully picked broken glass off the wooden floor. The pretty transgenic had short blonde hair and dark brown eyes, giving her a pixie-ish appearance. She was one of the few in Terminal City who flaunted her barcode and to hell with any narrow-minded schlub who dared make it an issue. "I've been saying it for months. We need a safe-house somewhere outside of the TC limits. If you think this is bad, wait until the next female goes into heat."

"Yeah, I know," Max said. It was an argument that Alec had been handling for her. Truth be told, Max's experience with estrus was limited to one-night-stands with ordinaries. Alec had explained the situation to her and she'd been a little freaked at the idea that she might not have any say about whom she mated with next time her cycle came around.

"Don't just stand there and say 'I know' when you don't," Kestrel chastised, her no-nonsense attitude coming to the fore. "When Shaine went into heat last month you were staying with your boyfriend. You didn't see what happened."

"Go easy, Kes," Ember said, mediating as she usually did. "Being fought over isn't anywhere near as much fun as you might think."

"I'm just saying that we need to be more careful," Kestrel temporized. "We need a place outside of the city where the females can hole up with their mates without driving every male in TC into a hormone-driven frenzy. Most of the females know when they're due and they get out while they can but we don't have any idea when the breeding females are going to start cycling again."

"Well, I'll be sure to let you know when I feel like jumping someone's bones," Ember offered dryly. Max and Ember shared a long-suffering look. Kestrel was always straight-to-the-point and didn't seem to worry too much about the way she sounded as a result.

"We're working on it, Kes," Max assured her. "But how about lettin' us worry about one problem at a time? We're guarding Jett twenty-four-seven."

"You think Brock and Vance would really attack him in the infirmary?" Ember asked, a note of worry in her voice.

"Not with Mole on watch," Max said honestly. "But the guys have a date tonight. With Jett down, they've gotta find someone else to pitch in. Alec's working on it."

"He didn't ask you?" Ember asked innocently. Max looked over at the redhead and shrugged.

"His jobs have a tendency to go sideways," Max pointed out.

"All the more reason why it should be you," Kestrel replied. "Keep him out of trouble."

Ember suddenly looked at Max more closely – or rather, at the clearly overlarge jacket she was wearing.

"Isn't that Alec's?" Ember asked, carefully keeping her tone neutral. Max didn't seem to realize what Ember was talking about at first but then she looked down at herself.

"Yeah," she said quickly. "I left my jacket at OC's so he loaned it to me."

"Mmm," was Ember's only response as she turned back to the mess at hand. Max unconsciously pulled the coat a little tighter around herself, inexplicably irritated that they'd found it worthy of comment. A ringing sound interrupted her moment of reflection.

Max quickly pulled the phone out of the jacket pocket and flipped it open.

"Alec's phone," she said simply, her features suddenly contorted in anger. "No, this is _not_ his secretary!"

In the background, Ember and Kestrel burst into laughter.

**Crash**

She sat at the bar and sipped her bourbon thoughtfully. She'd spent the last few nights in this place, enjoying the casual atmosphere. Sometimes a girl just needed a night to herself and she sure as hell needed a drink, especially after her tall, dark and handsome from the previous night turned out to be a dud instead of a stud. He'd been such a good kisser that it had been a terrible let down. She'd come to Crash afterwards, figuring she needed something to show for her efforts that night, even if it was a useless attempt at getting a hangover. She'd eventually conceded that her metabolism wasn't going to co-operate and left after giving the barman a generous tip.

"Mind if I join you?" a female voice asked suddenly. The transgenic looked up to find a familiar face looking at her expectantly. The girl she'd helped out the night before – Abby.

"You're gonna sit down either way, right?" the blonde asked. "So why ask?"

"Well, I had the crazy idea to be nice about it," Abby replied. "You know, manners? You have heard of them, right?"

"Depends on your definition," the blonde said with a hint of a smile. Did Common Verbal Usage count?

"For instance, it's polite to reciprocate when someone introduces themselves," Abby pointed out. The transgenic sighed and looked up at Abby for a long moment.

"You're not gonna go away, are you?" she asked wryly.

"Nope," Abby said simply, grinning ingenuously. After a moment, the blonde let out a ripple of laughter.

"Sit down," she said, her manner suddenly friendly. "What are you drinking?"

"Just a beer, thanks," Abby told her as she waved the bartender over.

"So what can I do for you?" he asked, his gaze wandering over both young women.

"A bourbon and a beer," the blonde told him with a smile, holding out a twenty dollar bill. "Hold the ice."

"You got it," he said, moving quickly to fill their order.

"How about that introduction?" Abby reminded her once the bartender was out of earshot. The blonde held out a hand which Abby shook without hesitation.

"I'm Jess," she told her.

"See? That wasn't so hard," Abby joked. "That's short for Jessica, right?"

"If you say so," Jess said dryly as the barman placed a two glasses on the bench and went about his business, leaving the two young women to their own devices.

About an hour later, Jess and Abby stepped out of the back door and promptly halted, their smiles fading. Jess stepped in front of Abby, shielding her from view as much as she could.

Nine men stood in the alleyway, staring at the two girls. One of them stepped forward and Jess drew herself up to her full height to look the leader squarely in the eyes, not caring that he had several inches on her. The men began moving restlessly around the two young women, revealing the weapons they'd brought with them - three crowbars, two worn baseball bats, a double-action .45 Ruger P90, a steel chain and two hunting knives.

One of the men stood out to her. He had a black eyes and grazes across one side of his face and when he turned slightly there was a swollen bulge on the back of his head.

The man she'd sucker punched, wearing different clothes in the same colours. In fact, all of the men were in similar shades. At the time, she hadn't taken any notice of what the two men were dressed in.

There it was – the clue she'd overlooked when she'd attacked the two thugs who'd been hassling Abby.

Gang colours.

She'd stuck her neck out for a total stranger and what did she get in return? A groupie and a pack of rabid dogs on her tail. A series of curses flashed through her mind. She should have known better than to make such a stupid, impulsive mistake.

A young woman pounding a drunk into the ground could be plausible. A tough bitch who knew all the right moves could have pulled off her neighbourhood watch stunt. But no one was ever going to believe that one little girl could take down nine armed men and walk away unscathed.

"Abby, why don't you go back inside while these boys and I have a chat?" Jess said lightly even as her gaze lingered on the group of thugs surrounding her.

"No way –" Abby began angrily.

"Go back inside, Abby." It was an order.

"But –"

"_Now_." Jess' tone brooked no argument. Realizing that she would be a liability if she stayed where she was, Abby reluctantly retreated through the door and let it close behind her.

"Smart girl," one of the men said, winking at her. Jess was suddenly glad she was wearing her boots instead of stilettos. She didn't want to ruin her favourite pair of heels.

"Glad we got your attention," the leader snarked. He stepped so close that Jess could smell his fetid breath but she didn't give an inch, her fierce blue-green eyes showing no sign of fear. "So how did a little thing like you get the drop on two of my boys?"

"You really wanna throw down because two of 'your boys' couldn't handle one little girl?" Jess asked contemptuously. "Seems your beef's with them, not me."

"But you're not just a little girl, are you?" the leader said, looking at her with surprisingly keen eyes. "There's a barcode on the back of that pretty little neck, isn't there?"

"Now where would you get an idea like that?" she purred, deliberately softening her tone as she ruthlessly suppressed the impulse to draw the handgun holstered beneath her jacket and make sure he never approached a transgenic with such a lack of respect again. Yet the last thing she could afford to do was prove them right. She couldn't afford to kill them – or anyone, if she wanted to stay under the radar.

_Okay. So the gun's out_, she thought, weighing up her very limited options. Every instinct was telling her that she wasn't going to talk her way out of this one. They wanted a fight and they believed they had her right where they wanted her. A part of her smiled even as her face remained impassive, waiting for one of them to make the first move.

In the end, the entire fracas was over in under a minute. Jess stood in the midst of nine broken, unconscious men, her hands on her hips, as she surveyed the damage. She didn't have so much as a hair out of place.

"Shit."


	7. Distractions

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals) Please don't sue me. It's so not worth it.**

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!**

**To Numbly Breaking:** You'll just have to wait and see. Trust me – there's a lot more to Jess than meets the eye. Happy reading and I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

**Chapter 7: Distractions**

**The Crown Hotel, 11pm**

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Max said under her breath, hearing an answering chuckle in her ear.

"Well, Maxie, with Jett down someone had to pick up the slack," Alec told her. "And you're a much more appealing distraction than anything we could've cooked up." Despite herself, Max smiled at the compliment, thankful that he couldn't actually see her expression.

She was standing in the middle of the beautiful and very crowded Lotus Room, surrounded by the rich and powerful of Seattle. With a combination microphone and speaker in her ear and a glass of champagne in her hand, she was working the crowd, making sure that she stood out just enough for their purposes.

Max had been sorely tempted to hit Alec across the back of the head when he presented her with the dress he wanted her to wear but she had to admit it was having the desired affect. It was silvery-blue silk, no less and clung to her curves like a second skin. It resembled a slip with spaghetti straps and a hem that floated just above her knees, leaving her legs bare and revealing her silver high heels. Her long raven hair had been swept into an artful up-do with a few tendrils framing her face and a simple silver necklace and bracelet completed the ensemble.

Alec had let out a low whistle when she'd stepped out of her office, tapping her foot in irritation.

"You owe me big, smart ass," she'd warned him.

"That's smart _alec_, remember?" he'd teased, his hazel eyes dancing.

"You won't be smart anything if you keep that up," she'd told him.

"Promises, promises," he'd drawled as they made their way to the car. It was the first time in living memory that Max had foregone the pleasure of riding her beloved Ninja.

So Rachel Glasser had resurfaced with some business cards in her purse and a friendly smile on her face, wishing heartily that she was in her usual tank top, jeans and boots. She stood out from the crowd in her silvery dress while everyone else, even the younger women, wore more demure outfits in muted tones. There were times that she hated being stared at and this was definitely one of those occasions.

"Are you in position yet?" she asked softly.

"Are you in a hurry, Max?" Alec asked lightly.

"If I'd said yes to all the guys who wanted to get me drunk, you'd be pouring me out of this dress," she told him, a hint of irritation in her voice.

"As long as you don't melt into the floor," Alec replied. "We'll be out of here in a couple of minutes. Just make sure everyone keeps staring at you and we'll be fine."

"Do I want to know what Jett would have been doing in my place?" Max asked.

"Actually, you're doing what would have been Rand's job," Alec informed her as she grinned at a passing businessman, teetering a little bit on her high heels so that everyone would think she was tipsy. The businessman reached out to steady her, holding her closer than was necessary to Max's way of thinking. She giggled and slipped from his grasp with a smile.

"Max, were you just giggling?" Alec asked innocently.

"Tell anyone and you'll never have children," Max said sternly.

"Why would I want kids when I have you, Maxie?" Alec chirped in response. "Such childish threats. Tsk tsk tsk."

_That's it. I'm gonna strangle him_, Max thought, her patience wearing thin. _And I'll use this dress to do it_.

"Plotting my death, are we?" Alec asked merrily as if he'd read her thoughts.

"Well, I was thinking about bouncing you on your ass but that's just so unfeminine, right?" she asked quietly, throwing his own words back at him. His laughter made her lips curve in a half-smile.

"Touché," he replied finally. Max shook her head. It was so like Alec to yap his way through a mission, to tease her when they were both supposed to be concentrating on the task at hand. She sighed and sipped her wine. A few minutes passed before he spoke up again.

"Okay, Maxie, the boys are away clean," Alec informed her. "I'll be down in a minute to get you outta there."

"In a Black Ops get-up? Please. I'm only pretending to be smashed. I can leave under my own steam."

"Trust me, it'll be easier if everyone sees you leave with company," Alec told her. "Those guys who've been ogling you all night are probably just drunk enough to go after you."

"What are you gonna do? Swoop in like Tarzan and carry me off?"

"Give me some credit for thinking ahead, Maxie," Alec chided. "Besides, everyone else is staring at that dress. Why shouldn't I?"

"Just be thankful that those magic tattoos are gone," Max said under her breath.

"Actually, I thought they were kinda sexy," Alec told her.

"You always did have questionable taste," Max replied.

"That's a bit harsh, Maxie."

"Like you don't know it's true," she said teasingly.

"Well, maybe my standards are a little higher these days," he suggested archly.

"So the price has gone up?"

"Hey!" Max shook her head at the mock outrage in his tone.

"Just get your ass down here, smart alec," she told him.

"Yes, ma'am," he said crisply. She could just imagine the mocking salute he'd have given her if he'd been standing at her side. A ruggedly handsome man in his early thirties lifted his glass to her, smirking suggestively. Max turned away with a roll of her eyes, taking a sip from her glass.

_Come on, come on_, she thought. _These heels are killing me_.

"Can I fill you up?"

"Excuse me?" Her eyes flashing indignantly, Max turned to find the man who'd toasted her standing at her shoulder with a bottle in his other hand.

"Your glass," he clarified, his eyes wandering over her in a manner that made her skin crawl.

"No, thankyou," she said, forcing herself to smile at him. "I'm fine."

"Indeed you are," he said appreciatively. Max let out a ditzy giggle and tried not to grit her teeth.

"Thanks but I'm here with someone," she said, keeping her tone light.

"Really? I didn't notice anybody," he replied, moving closer to her. "I think you're playing with me –"

"There you are," a familiar voice drawled. Max turned to find Alec standing a few feet away from her, looking like dynamite in a tailored suit. He quickly closed the distance between them and smoothly interposed himself between Max and her admirer, sliding an arm around her waist. "I've been looking for you."

"Have you now?" Max quickly matched his tone, smiling up at him in the giddy manner of all those females she'd seen in his company. "So what are you going to do with me now that you've found me?"

He leaned down and whispered in her ear. To everyone else, it looked like he was proposing something indecent as Max's smile broadened.

"There's a jerry can full of gas in your office," he told her softly. "My treat."

"Lead the way," Max said brightly, looking towards the door. With a cocky grin, Alec escorted Max out of the Lotus Room, his arm locked around her waist as he continued to whisper total nonsense in her ear.

"A jerry can?" she asked once they were safely away.

"Call it a bribe," Alec told her, releasing her to open the car door for her.

"What, you can't just say thank you?"

"I thought all girls liked presents," Alec said, clearly amused. He shut the door as she made herself comfortable and sauntered around to the driver's side. They were almost home when Max started the conversation again.

"You guys did a good job tonight," Max said, sincere in her approval. Alec grinned at her as he drove through the Terminal City gates.

"You weren't so bad yourself… for an understudy."

"Hey, I didn't see you fending off the dogs."

"Well, okay, they did seem to be drooling a bit."

"Which reminds me - you didn't have to manhandle me!" Max pointed out.

"I had an arm around your waist, Max. It's not like I stripped you naked."

"You know what everyone in there was thinking!"

"That I'm gonna get lucky?" he said, his trademark smirk firmly in place.

"That's not funny! What if Logan hears about that?"

"He'll figure it was a mission and deal. What's your problem?"

"You know he's still weird about us –"

"Gee, I wonder why," he said blandly.

"Don't start that again."

"Do you have to do everything the hard way?" he asked, exasperated. "We came, we stole, we got away. Most people would consider that a pretty good night."

"That's not the point!"

"There's a point to this? And here I thought you were picking a fight for fun," he said sarcastically.

"I'm not picking a fight –"

"Yes, you are," he cut her off. "You do this every time you wear heels –"

"You try walking in stilettos for hours!" she huffed as they pulled up outside of HQ, unable to think of anything else to say as she alighted from the vehicle. "And I am not your secretary!" Max snapped as she slammed the car door and stalked inside, leaving Alec staring after her incredulously.

"You're not my _what_?" Alec jumped out and went after her, totally bewildered by her last statement.

He caught up to her in the main surveillance centre.

"Max, what the hell are you talking about?" Alec demanded only to have her slap a hand over his mouth. Her attention was fixed on the television set, the volume turned up to maximum as the staff watched the report in silence.

"… _Sector Police are still searching the area for the alleged transgenic responsible for the attack. Details at this point are being withheld by authorities. It is unlikely that any progress will be made until the victims are able to make a statement regarding their ordeal, or to describe their attacker_. _Patrons of the bar have been questioned by police and it's hoped that in the absence of eyewitnesses, they will at least make some headway in their investigation_…"

The television screen went black as Max and Alec shared looks of alarm.

"I'm going to assume you two went out to dinner."

Max and Alec turned to find Ramon Clemente standing behind them, the remote control in his hand, regarding Max's unusual attire warily.

"Assume away," Alec replied with a shrug.

"I take it that's the first you've heard about this," Clemente continued, gesturing towards the television.

"Been waiting long?" Max asked.

"Your office?"

Max nodded, leading the way with Alec at her side, who closed the door behind them as Clemente seated himself and waited for the two transgenics to ask the inevitable question.

"Give it to me straight," Max said as she sat down behind her desk. "How ugly is this going to get?"

"I honestly don't know," Clemente told her as Alec perched himself on the edge of Max's desk with his arms folded across his chest. "What I do know is that the bartender found nine men unconscious and bleeding in the alley at the back of a bar called Crash in Sector Five."

"That's it?" Alec asked, regarding Clemente shrewdly.

"People inside the bar have said they saw two young women walk out the back. One girl came back inside and a minute or two later they heard a gunshot. By the time the bartender got outside the girl was gone and her friend slipped out in the confusion."

"Have you got a description?" Max asked.

"Apparently the girl's been in there a few nights this week," Clemente replied. "Long blonde hair, blue eyes, slender and about five-foot-seven. The phrase 'uber-babe' was used a few times."

Max and Alec looked at each other for a moment, the same thought crossing both their minds.

"Any ideas?" Clemente prompted them.


	8. Eyes Only

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N: **Sorry it took so long to update but I was snowed under with work. To make up for it, I'm trying to write a couple of chapters really quickly.

**Chapter 8: Eyes Only**

**Sandeman's House**

_Eyes Only_.

Sometimes, just sometimes, Logan despised his alter ego, the name he'd chosen to protect his identity. Mainly because it was particularly apt when it came to his relationship with Max.

Look but never touch. Under no circumstances could they be skin to skin. Even flesh to gloves made her nervous. If he brushed against her she flinched, worry flashing through her doe-brown eyes as she checked to be sure that he hadn't been infected. For that, more than anything else, Logan hated Manticore. They'd tortured countless children, created monsters and killed for their own ends yet in his mind the virus was the most horrific of their crimes.

Manticore had tainted the one thing that should have been sacrosanct. They shouldn't have been able to come between himself and Max as they had, to make her afraid of being near him. Melodramatic as it sounded, she was his very own Trojan Horse.

Max hated it as much as he did. She was sitting on the end of his computer table, just out of his immediate reach, watching his fingers fly across the keyboard as he hacked into the Sector Police database. As usual, she looked effortlessly stunning… but something was different.

It had taken him a few minutes to find all of the discrepancies in her appearance. She was in her normal attire - black boots, dark blue jeans, a black tank top and her wool-lined denim jacket. At first it was just the slight wave in her usually dead straight hair that got his attention. Then he'd noticed the pearly finish on her perfectly manicured nails. The faint, silvery shimmer on her eyelids and the mascara on her long lashes.

He wasn't sure he wanted to know why Max was wearing make up and nail polish but he knew she hadn't done it for him. Her phone call had come about half an hour after that damning television report claiming that a transgenic had attacked nine members of a street gang called the Huns. She needn't have bothered to ask. He'd already been working on the case when she'd roared up on her motorcycle, her legendary temper barely in check.

He'd let her vent, half-listening to her as he concentrated on the task at hand. He couldn't blame her for being angry. Three months of tireless work could easily go up in smoke because one transgenic had decided to show off. With so much at stake, the timing couldn't have been worse. Max had been under enough stress already.

"Have the Sector Police made a move yet?" Logan asked, trying to be as casual as he could without being insensitive.

"Clemente paid us a visit back at TC," Max replied. "I told him I was going to chase down some leads."

"He let you go that quickly?" Logan sounded surprised. Max shook her head.

"Alec's handling Clemente," she told him.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Logan asked warily.

"He knows the rules on this kind of thing better than anyone," Max replied.

"Because he's broken so many of them?"

"Something like that," Max said ruefully. "He'll come through."

Logan tried not to stiffen at the confidence she imbued into that simple statement. Yet Max had just blithely assured him that X5-494 wouldn't screw them over, even if it was unintentional. Everyone knew that Alec operated on both sides of the line without a second thought.

Max's pager sounded out and Logan didn't even look up – he just waved her over to the phone.

"Yeah, I'm hittin' you back," he heard her say. "Is Clemente still there?" A pause. "Can you get him out without compromising the tunnels?"

Logan tried not to listen into her conversation. She was keeping her voice low but he could still make out what she was saying. The fact that she was even trying to prevent him from overhearing made him uneasy. He could see her out of the corner of his eyes, her dark hair falling in front of her face like a curtain. A few moments later she hung up and resumed her perch on his desk, her expression suddenly lethal.

"Bad news?" Logan asked.

"Apparently the picketers just set up camp outside the gates," Max said shortly, her liquid brown eyes ablaze. "Again. When I get my hands on that airhead bimbo –"

"If she's Manticore, she's hardly an airhead," Logan pointed out. "Isn't high IQ all part and parcel?"

"It doesn't mean they all use it," Max snapped angrily. "You'd think she'd have stopped after she pummelled a drunk but no! She decides to attack a street gang!"

"Max, we're going to fix this," Logan told her. "I promise. Eyes Only will do everything he can."

"Do you think you can calm it down?" Max asked anxiously.

"Well, I don't have much to go on but the nine-to-one part seems to have been conveniently underplayed. I've contacted Matt Sung. He's going to see what he can pass my way. In the meantime I'll do what I can."

She gave him a ghost of a smile and pushed her hair back behind her ears, revealing the tiny silver studs in her ears. Logan couldn't suppress his curiosity any longer.

"Go anywhere special tonight?" he asked, hoping he sounded unconcerned. She looked startled by the question for a moment and self-consciously raised a hand to her hair.

"Not really, I was just helping the guys on a mission," she hedged.

"Since when is a heist a formal affair?" Logan pressed, unwilling to let it go.

"Since Jett got injured and they needed someone to keep an eye on things at the party downstairs," she said finally. "No biggie."

_Please, please, don't ask if Alec was involved_, Max prayed.

"Wasn't that Alec's little operation?"

"Yeah, actually," she said lightly. "They got away clean, if you're interested."

"So Alec was playing with the other kids?"

Max frowned, her patience eroding. "Spit it out, Logan."

"Spit what out?"

"You've gotta stop being sensitive about Alec," she told him, a hint of pleading in her voice. "He was a man down for the job, so I pitched in. End of story."

"Sure," Logan said, turning his attention back to the computer screen. Max sighed and knelt down beside his chair, looking up at him with liquid brown eyes.

"We're okay, aren't we?" she asked. "Alec and I are just friends. I need him to help me run TC, that's all."

Logan finally looked down at her and nodded.

"All right," he said softly. She smiled at him and Logan let the tension leave his muscles. After a long moment, she stepped back and let him do his thing.

"_Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a Streaming Freedom Video Bulletin. This cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced. It cannot be stopped. And it is the only free voice left in this city…_"

**Sector Five, Jess' Apartment**

_Great. Just fan-fucking-tastic_. _More publicity_.

As she watched the Streaming Freedom Video Bulletin, Jess began slowly pacing the main room of her newest home. There was no hint of emotion on her lovely face, no sign of worry in her blue-green eyes. Only her mind reacted to the problem at hand, turning it over, trying to see it from every conceivable angle.

At Manticore, she'd been taught for years to evaluate her options quickly and act in the most appropriate, expedient fashion. Hence her quick-as-a-flash dash when Renfro had decided she liked her meat well-done. Hesitation had never been her thing.

Her only regret had been leaving Reb.

Despite the number of X5s residing at the base, she'd only ever thought of one soldier as a sibling. Reb, who'd been named for his subtly rebellious ways, had been an X5 male and a member of her unit. When PsyOps had gotten through with them after the '09 escape, he'd still managed to sneak out every once in a while to see her. Lydecker would have had a fit if he knew that Reb had managed to beat his stringent security measures time after time.

The student had definitely surpassed the master. No matter how hard dear old Deck had tried, his kids still managed to work around him.

Jess hadn't seen Reb since 2017 when they'd been certified for field deployment. He'd been assigned to a different platoon and may as well have dropped off the face of the planet. She'd missed him. Before the crackdown on using names instead of designations, he'd always called her 'Jessie'. No-one else had ever called her that, even before the infamous escape.

Thankfully, Jess hadn't been at the base when it burned to the ground. She'd been in a modest hotel room, poised to delete one of the Committee members, when she'd caught the Eyes Only hack. She knew enough to figure Renfro would rather send a grill-o-gram and get rid of the evidence than risk her position. Jess had taken as many weapons as she could safely conceal and the cash she'd been assigned by her command. Then she'd gotten out of there as quickly as she could, unwilling to be in the vicinity if anyone came looking for her.

X5 independence had been a double-edged sword for many years. They'd tried simplification. They'd tried discipline. They'd tried punishment. No matter how hard Manticore pushed, the X5s had continually proved to be the best in any field.

She knew how people saw the X5 series. They half expected to find 'Made in Taiwan' stamped on her ass. They thought they were freaks, homicidal automatons that came off an assembly line like the Barbie Dolls of old. Of course they were all smarter, stronger and faster but few had any real idea of just how specialised they really were.

Jess knew her own classification by heart.

Black Ops - a stealth model optimized for muscular flexibility and hand-to-hand combat. She was designed to think creatively and absorb information quickly. There hadn't been many of her type at Manticore – six including twins. When 493 had been returned in a body bag, their number had gone down to five.

The geneticists had focused on sheer physical strength in many cases, creating specimens like 599 and 600. While Jess had to concede that these 'combat models' were superior in many ways, she had always thought that her group had the best of both worlds.

Perhaps it was arrogant but she had good reason to believe it.

With a sigh, Jess flicked off the television and gazed at the apartment she'd made her own during the last few weeks. It wasn't much to look at. She'd been moving around frequently until curiosity had gotten the better of her and she'd come to Seattle to see what the deal was.

As soon as she'd seen Terminal City, with its armed guards, camera crews and protesters, Jess had decided some things were more trouble than they were worth. She'd been more than a little disgusted to learn that an '09er was the leader of the so-called Freak Nation. The transgenics were following a deserter. To Jess's way of thinking, that didn't sound like a fabulous start. Running was the only thing that platoon had ever been good at.

It was beyond pathetic that Jess was now considering that same tactic. It was her own fault. Her temper hadn't exactly been sunny for the last few weeks and she'd unleashed on a group of idiotic, egomaniacal ordinaries. She could have talked her way out of it if she'd given it a decent shot. Instead the media was having a field day and she was wondering how much petrol it would take to get to Portland.

_Hindsight really sucks_.


	9. Guessing Games

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N: **Thanks for the awesome reviews! Keep them coming – I love hearing what you guys have to say.

**Chapter 9: Guessing Games**

**Terminal City HQ**

"Did you have any trouble getting back inside?" Alec asked as soon as he saw Max enter the tech room. She immediately made a beeline for him, tossing her wind-ravaged hair back behind her shoulders. She didn't bother trying to tidy it up a bit as she had when she'd first arrived at Logan's. No one at TC gave a damn if she was a bit messy from riding her motorcycle.

"I used the tunnels. Is Clemente still around?"

Alec shook his head. "Mole and I escorted him to the door. He got out of the front gate without too much effort. The picketers left him alone. Everyone knows he's not transgenic."

"Was Mole his usual charming self?" Max asked with a grin, subtly gesturing for him to follow her into her office.

"Are you kidding?" Alec asked merrily as he fell in beside her. "They were comparing cigars. Apparently Clemente likes Hondurans every once in a while."

"Doesn't Mole smoke Cubans?" Max asked as she closed the door.

"They're illegal, remember," Alec replied, winking at her. "How do you want it?"

"Give it to me straight and get it over with," Max said as she sat down and began unfastening the silver studs in her ears. She'd completely forgotten about them until she'd seen Logan glancing at her strangely a couple of times. She probably should have gotten rid of the make-up before she went over to Joshua's old place but she simply hadn't given it a second thought until it was too late.

"The media's going nuts. One of the men regained consciousness and told the cops that a blonde transgenic attacked them outside Crash. The cops have set up patrols throughout Sector Five and they've established a perimeter to catch her if she tries to leave that Sector."

"That's so pitiful it's insulting," Max said derisively, setting the earrings down carefully.

"They don't have the numbers to do any better," Alec explained patiently. "They've put out a general description but they haven't had any hits yet. They've classified her as armed and extremely dangerous."

"And the public?"

"They're not panicking – yet," Alec said grimly. "I think the only reason we don't have more people outside the TC limits throwing things is because most of Seattle's asleep. The picketers are the worst so far. I've already issued a statement through Clemente saying that we don't know the identity of the transgenic but we'll co-operate with the Sector Police to find her. I think we should co-ordinate our efforts with theirs. We know better than anyone what to look for. We take as many of our people as we can without weakening the defences and set up a dragnet."

"You don't really think she's still in Sector Five, do you?" Max asked.

"Maybe," Alec mused. "Can't hurt to try and it'll lift our image with the public and the cops at the same time."

"Our chances?"

"It depends on her," Alec told her honestly. "Most transgenics come to TC if they're in the Seattle area but our mystery guest must have stayed well clear if we can't get a single decent lead. I've talked to all the unit leaders. They can account for all of their people, including the ones who fit the description."

"So where the hell did she come from?" Max asked rhetorically. "She's probably X5, so _somebody_ has to know who she is. Could she be PsyOps?"

"You mean like Mia?" Alec asked. "I don't think so. Anyone who could mess with memory wouldn't need to cause a scene like this. She could just put the whammy on them and walk away. They'd never even know they met her." Alec regarded Max thoughtfully for a moment before continuing. "You know, it's possible that she might be an 09er."

Max looked at him sharply.

"No way," she replied. "They've spent eleven years on the lam. They wouldn't blow it like this."

"No-one's perfect, Maxie," Alec reminded her, running a hand restlessly through his dark blonde hair. "If she wasn't at Manticore, it would explain why the unit leaders can't identify her. Do any of your sisters fit the description?"

"Syl does," Max admitted grudgingly. "Petite, blonde but she has brown eyes."

"Anyone else?" Alec prompted.

"I don't know," Max snapped defensively. "Zack was the only one who knew and kept track of all twelve of us. Maybe Jondy… her hair was always lighter than mine."

"Okay, which '09ers do you know about?" Alec asked, picking up a pen and paper from her desk. When Max gave him a mutinous look, he didn't back down. "We have to consider this, Max. Names and designations?"

Grudgingly admitting that he was right, Max leaned back in her chair.

"Jondy. X5-210. Brin. X5-734. Tinga. X5-656. Syl. X5-701. Tinga's dead. Brin was a brunette anyway and I haven't seen Jondy since I was nine."

"They're the only ones you know about?" Alec asked, looking for confirmation. She nodded, still not liking the idea at all.

"There were other females in my unit but I don't know who got away and who didn't. Wouldn't you know all this anyway?" she pointed out. "The twins were in an identical platoon."

"I already thought of that," Alec replied. "Logan was looking into it but according to Quantico's records there are only five X5Rs still active. Not one of them fits the bill."

"Who were they?"

"Sam, Lane, Keema, Devon and Jewel. Only three females – all brunette."

Her curiosity aroused, Max looked Alec in the eyes. "So who's who?"

"You've already met Sam," Alec reminded her. "Lane was Zack's twin and Keema was Brin's. Devon was 472 and Jewel was 657."

"Krit and Tinga," Max realized. "What happened to the others?"

"They were either put down or KIA," Alec said with a shrug, his expression giving nothing away. Max hated it when he did that, falling back behind the Manticore mask they'd all perfected. She hated not being able to read him.

"I asked Dix to do a weapons inventory," Alec said, changing the subject abruptly. "Figured we might as well know how far we can go if we have to."

"Just keep it low-key. We don't want people getting it into their heads to raid the lockers."

"Already on it," Alec assured her. "How are you at sketching?"

"Sketching?" she asked blankly, surprised by yet another unexpected turn in the conversation.

"Yeah, you know, drawing. Could you sketch Syl for us?"

"Why don't I just paint a target on her back?" Max asked sarcastically. "We don't know if it's her."

"We don't know that it _isn't_ her, either," Alec replied smoothly. "Come on, Max, we've both done stupid things that almost got us exposed."

"Oh, you mean like cage-fighting? Or beating up a group of Steelheads? Or –"

"I get the picture, Miss Perfect," Alec chided her, his green-gold eyes fixed on her face as he dropped the pen and a fresh sheet of paper onto the desk in front of her. "Now draw one for me."

Throwing him one last rebellious look, Max called up the mental image of Syl as she'd last seen her and began transferring it to the page. Every instinct was telling Max that Alec was wrong. It couldn't be Syl. Her sister would have come to see her by now if she was in Seattle. Sadly, she also couldn't refute the logic of Alec's argument.

After a minute or so of uncomfortable silence, broken only by the soft scratching of the pen, Max handed the page to Alec. He gazed down at the image of a pretty young woman and nodded slowly.

"I'll show this to the unit leaders," he said, folding it neatly in half and tucking it into the inside pocket of the jacket she'd finally returned to him. "What about Logan? Anything from cyberspace?"

"Nothing yet," Max said, her frustration once again showing on her face. "He was still hacking the Sector Police database when I left. He's hoping to get copies of the reports for us."

"I don't think they'll tell us anything we don't already know," Alec pointed out. "But in the meantime we have to meet Clemente in an hour."

"It's almost one o'clock in the morning," Max protested.

"Do you see the picketers packing up because it's the middle of the night?" Alec asked, leaning forward. "We know absolutely nothing about who our target is or what her physical limitations are. She might be a night-combat model like you, which is all the more reason to move now before she has time to regroup and get the hell outta Dodge. We can't afford to let her go, Max."

"Who've you brought in?" Max asked, resigning herself to a busy night. It wasn't like she needed to sleep anyway but she knew Alec was going to feel it in the morning.

"The transhumans are on watch tonight and Mole's third in command so he'll be holding down the fort," Alec informed her. "So far I've got three units reporting for duty at the tunnels at oh-one-thirty, each with twelve soldiers."

"We don't have that many X5s on active duty," Max observed, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"The X6s are picking up the slack," Alec told her. "And Ember opened the nursery for the night so any X5 mothers who want to volunteer can leave the tiny fellas with her."

"Has anyone taken her up on her offer?" Max was thinking of how only four nursing females had used the facility since its grand opening.

"Six at the last count," Alec reported. "We had a fight on our hands with Gem, though. Mole was doing his over-protective thing again."

"She told him where to go, I suppose."

"Doesn't she always?" Alec grinned. "Now _that_'s entertainment."

Max shook her head and not just at the amusing thought of the green-eyed X5 female laying down the law to the seven-foot lizard man. Alec was so efficient it was almost scary. It wasn't the first time Max had been grateful for his support. Alec might be an egotistical flirt but he came through for her whenever she needed him. He never complained about his responsibilities. He saw what needed to be done and did it.

The strangest thing was that over the last few months Max had found she was agreeing with his leadership decisions more and more often. She'd been reluctant to let him help at first but he'd quickly proven to be invaluable. As an '09er Max hadn't been considered completely trustworthy at first. Alec, on the other hand, had been at Manticore until Renfro had ordered Seattle's biggest barbecue. The citizens of TC respected him and with the encouragement of both Alec and Joshua, the transgenics and transhumans had come to respect her too.

They were a tempered team. Joshua was the heart of the transhumans while Alec was the undisputed leader of the X-series. Max had helped to bridge the gap between the two sides of Manticore, united them under one banner. She was the rogue element, one of the first to give their creators the finger. The three of them together were virtually unstoppable. The thought made her smile.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Alec asked, clearly intrigued by the soft smile that had suddenly wreathed her features.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Max teased, her stormy mood suddenly clearing.

"Don't you know better than to give me a challenge by now, Maxie?" Alec said with a wicked grin.

It was strange how a couple of minutes in Alec's presence had done what almost half an hour with Logan hadn't. Maybe it was because these days she felt like she was walking on eggshells around Logan. With Alec she was always herself, often to the point where they ended up bickering. It was like a weird kind of detox. She got to her feet and met Alec's sparkling green-gold eyes. "Ready?"

"I'm always ready."

"You know, that reminds me," Max said, thinking back to the last time he'd said that to her. "Who's Lola?"

"A source," Alec replied with a deceptively casual shrug.

"A source of what exactly?" Max prompted. Alec's lips twitched.

"Education."

What Lola had educated him on, Alec left to Max's more-than-adequate imagination.


	10. Here kitty kitty kitty

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**Chapter 10: Here kitty kitty kitty…**

**Sector Seven, Terminal City Limits**

Alec stood in front of thirty-six dark-clothed X5 and X6 soldiers, observing them with a practiced eye. They waited for their orders, battle-ready in standard formation, outside Terminal City.

On Alec's left was Max, dressed in her trademark black with her dark hair in a ponytail. To his right was Clemente, watching the soldiers with a good deal of respect. That, more than anything, inclined Alec to like the man. The transgenics may be known as freaks but the Detective treated them like equals. Alec had agreed with Clemente's request that he be present when the transgenics received their orders, knowing it was a trust-building exercise. Keeping Clemente on-side was something both Max and Alec considered a priority.

Alec himself was going to lead the Alpha Team but he'd needed two other X5s to lead the remaining Beta and Gamma Teams. He hadn't been at all surprised when both Rand and Brax had put their hands up for the job. They'd been unit leaders at Manticore and he'd been grateful for their support. Max was going to be with Clemente, co-ordinating the search from a neutral position – Original Cindy's apartment.

Alec hadn't said it to her face but he'd been relieved when Max had agreed to take a back seat on this one. She hated it when they were forced to confront one of their own. Whoever their target was, she was still Manticore and that made her inherently dangerous. He didn't want anything to happen to Max, despite knowing she was one of the toughest soldiers he'd ever encountered.

"Okay, people, listen up," Alec said, his voice clear and strong in the darkness. All eyes immediately fixed on him. "The target, according to all reports, is a transgenic - approximately five-foot-seven, early twenties and slim with long light blonde hair. All known transgenics fitting the description have been accounted for. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," they chorused.

"The point of the exercise is to _capture_ the target. You are not authorized to terminate. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"The unit leaders will be dividing their teams into pairs once they reach their assigned areas. Each pair will be co-ordinating with the Sector Police and your unit leaders to sweep Sector Five and the surrounding areas. You will check in with your unit leaders every five minutes. Gamma Team will be reporting to Brax, Beta Team will be reporting to Rand and Alpha Team will be reporting to me. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Move out."

"Not bad," Max said softly as the transgenics obeyed, giving him a satisfied smile.

"Thanks," he said with a grin.

"Be careful," she warned him.

"You too."

"Okay," Max said, turning to Clemente. "Let's get going." The dark-skinned detective nodded once to Alec and followed 452 toward his car. Knowing Max was more than capable of handling the detective, Alec quickly caught up to his platoon. Moments later, he sped away on his Bandit, disappearing into the night.

**Sector Five, Original Cindy's Apartment**

"Thanks for letting us use your place," Max said, smiling as she hugged Original Cindy, who was in mismatched pyjamas with curly hair even wilder than usual.

"No problem, boo," Cindy told her as she stepped aside to let them carry in the radio equipment. "Do what you gotta do."

"Original Cindy, meet Detective Clemente," Max said, watching as Ramon held out a hand for Cindy to shake.

"My girl here's been sayin' some good things 'bout you," Cindy told him. "Don't let her down, aiight?"

Clemente was far from immune to Cindy's brand of friendly charm. He smiled in return.

"I certainly don't intend to," he assured her.

"And, of course, our location is strictly confidential," Max reminded him. After all, OC was technically a squatter.

"Of course," he agreed, prompting Cindy to smile warmly at him.

"Coffee?"Cindy asked brightly. Ramon accepted her offer gratefully. Unlike Max, who was a habitual night owl, the lack of sleep was getting to him. Anything caffeinated was a godsend in his eyes.

The corner of Max's mouth lifted into a half-smile. She'd seen Alec forego his usual scotch in favour of the strongest coffee TC had available. He'd probably sleep until sundown after they were finished with the dragnet.

Without a word, Max began setting up the equipment. She'd get it done faster without Clemente's help anyway with transgenic dexterity. Original Cindy was holding the Detective's attention without too much effort, chatting while she brewed. Max caught onto her ploy pretty quickly. Despite his assurance that he wouldn't turn her in, Cindy was taking no chances. She was befriending him.

It took a few minutes for Max to finish. Speaking clearly so Clemente could hear everything she was saying, she sent out her first message.

"This is Home Base. Allplatoons report. This message will be repeated every five minutes until all teams are in position. Over."

The detective made his way over, a mug of steaming coffee clutched in his hand as he sat down on the sofa beside Max. True to her word, she reiterated the message until all the teams had checked in and spread out as ordered. Brax's Gamma Team was the last to report in as they'd been stationed the furthest from Terminal City.

"Would you like to do the honours?" Max asked, holding out the receiver. With a grateful nod, Ramon took it and cleared his throat before pressing the button.

"This is Clemente. All teams are in position. Commence the sweep."

"Alpha Team - acknowledged," Alec replied.

"Beta Team - acknowledged."

"Gamma Team - acknowledged."

"Now what?" Cindy asked, sitting on the arm of the sofa and handing Max a cup of liquid caffeine.

"We wait, mostly," Max told her. "We mark off the areas they've covered on the map as they go, make sure they don't miss any part of the sector. Each group has orders to report their status and position every five minutes."

"Damn, girl, I've never heard you talk military before," Cindy told her. "That's kinda hot, yeah?"

Max let out a ripple of laughter while Clemente tried to stifle a smile at Cindy's teasing.

Several minutes passed in companionable silence, intermittently broken by team status reports and the scratching of pencils on the map.

"Base, this is Beta Leader." Rand's voice crackled over the radio, prompting Max to pick up the receiver.

"This is Base. Go ahead," she replied.

"This isn't gonna work," Rand told her. As she and Clemente exchanged a concerned glance, she pressed the appropriate button.

"Care to elaborate?" Max asked

"If she's anywhere near us, she's gonna hear us a mile off," he explained. "We all move silently but the cops don't. They're about as subtle as a truck."

"Just do you best, Rand," Max replied. "We don't have the manpower to sweep an entire sector without them – not if we expect to find her."

"Roger that," Rand said simply and the line fell silent.

"How good is transgenic hearing?" Clemente asked thoughtfully, looking up at Max.

"Rand's right," Max admitted reluctantly. "She'll hear them coming long before they can get a visual fix on her."

"But once she's been flushed out they can pick her up," Clemente said, halfway between a question and a statement.

"'Pick her up' is a pretty loose term," Max told him, "but that's the general idea. It's all good. Even if she slips the net, no-one on the run can avoiding leaving a trail of some kind. We'll find her."

**Sector Five, Jess's Apartment**

Jess had naturally assumed that people would be looking for her. She'd have been gone an hour ago if she hadn't been low on gas - she'd had to sneak out and steal some. Her fastest method of escape, her motorcycle, was standing near the door, its tank now half-full.

She'd turned off all the lights. With transgenic night-vision she didn't need them anyway. She was swiftly packing the bare necessities into a pair of black saddlebags – her warmest clothes, a pair of boots, some food and finally tryptophan pills. The real trouble was going to be getting past the sector checkpoints and she was considering her options when she realized something was wrong.

It was the distant crackle of a radio that tipped her off first.

Jess carefully crept over to the open window, keeping out of sight as much as she could. Even her breathing slowed, minimizing her movement as she peered down at the street three-storeys below. Despite the darkness, a flash of movement caught her eye. She focused, her pupils dilating as she literally 'zoomed in' on the source of the disturbance.

_There_.

A young man was moving through the shadows with a fluid grace she'd long associated with her own kind. He was typically handsome with scruffy raven hair and brandy brown eyes. He was dressed in solid black. X5.He paused and scanned his surroundings, then made a few rapid gestures with his right hand. At his command, another transgenic and three sector cops followed his lead.

_Shit_.

They were going to sweep the building. On her way back in she'd heard people moving around in several apartments. If they questioned anyone, it wouldn't take too long for them to find her.

She slipped away from the window and made her way to her bag. If she'd been taking the bare bones before, now she could only afford to leave with what she could easily carry. Half of her immediate problem was her pale gold hair – her distinguishing feature. Twisting it around into a rough bun with one hand, she snatched up a beanie and pulled it down so that only a few wisps remained uncovered.

She wasted no time arming herself. She'd secured her two semi-automatic pistols in her shoulder holsters before she left to get the petrol, so she simply slipped into her favourite black leather jacket. She sheathed a seven-inch boot knife and dropped her last full bottle of tryptophan pills into her pocket. They were going to rattle a bit but she couldn't afford to leave them behind.

Her sensitive ears detected movement on the stairwells and she knew she was out of time. Moving cat-quietly, Jess approached the window and scanned not just the street but the roof of the adjacent building. Seeing nothing, she swung a leg over the sill and pulled herself out of the room. In her dark clothing she was virtually invisible to the human eye. A transgenic would be another story.

She could see one of the sector cops on the ground below, watching the street.

The chilly night air seemed to sink into her skin and she breathed it in, focusing all her senses on the people she could hear moving around inside. They were on the second floor. With one last longing look at her motorcycle, she turned to face the graffiti-ridden brick wall and jumped.

It was a graceful leap, straight up. She grabbed hold of the fourth-storey ledge and pulled herself up smoothly, then continued to work her way up the side of the building in that fashion. She was one level from the roof when she paused to survey her surroundings one last time. She looked down and locked eyes with the dark-haired transgenic, whose head had just popped out of her window.

It was no more than a split-second but the damage was done.

As she jumped upwards one last time, she heard him speaking into his radio.

"This is Gamma Leader. Target has been sighted."


	11. Manticoreans

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N: **I'd like to give credit to Valjean's "X5-494: Genetically Empowered" Website http/alec494.egoism.jp/ where I discovered a map of Seattle's Sectors that I'm using as a reference in this series. I'd also like to point out that I have no idea where anything actually is in Seattle cos I live in Australia.

**Chapter 11: Manticoreans**

**Sector Five**

The figure sprinting across rooftops didn't dare look back as she hurtled through the darkness at breakneck speed, all her senses trained on the task at hand. Escape and evade. Even the moon was obscured by the thunderclouds that were rolling in. The first sprinkling of rain came down, wetting the surface beneath her feet.

Jess leapt from building to building like a panther, clearing distances of ten or twelve feet with ease, moving from a seven storey building to eight, from eight to six without hesitation or even conscious thought.

She couldn't hear the dark-haired transgenic but she knew he was there, as silent as she was, his slightly longer strides giving him an edge as he pursued her eastwards across a city block.

_Get off the roof, get off the roof_… The chant echoed through her mind even as she saw the access door two buildings ahead. Before she knew it she'd kicked it down, using her momentum to do most of the work, and she skidded against the wall. It only slowed her for a heartbeat. Finding herself in a stairwell, Jess jumped nimbly over the railing and let herself fall, twisting one-hundred-and-eighty-degrees in mid-air.

"Target is heading east on James Street." He was getting closer, sounding utterly calm, as she latched onto the opposite railing three levels down. She pushed out with her legs and promptly executed the same move again. She winced as she landed on the unyielding concrete floor, the impact sending a stab of pain through her muscles. Three storeys was pushing it, even for a transgenic.

_God,_ _I'm gonna feel this in the morning_.

She darted through the exit as her pursuer bounced off the wall just as she had.

"She's on the ground!" she heard him warn as he leapt down after her. Jess blurred through the corridors, heading towards the street. She had to move this battle to a field of her choosing – a place where agility mattered more than brute strength. A place where she had the advantage.

To do that, she had to get out onto the street and let them follow her.

_Fine. You wanna play? _Jess thought grimly._ Let's play._

**Original Cindy's Apartment**

"They've just passed Ninth Avenue," Max reported, marking off the map accordingly.

"Roger that," Clemente said smartly. "All teams. Target is in the vicinity of James Street and Terry Avenue. Converge and contain."

**Sector Five**

The abandoned factory on Terry Avenue was silent except for the rain pounding on the metal roof. Brax had seen his quarry race inside through the sudden downpour, which was making visibility a nightmare. His dark clothing clinging to his skin, he moved closer to the building.

_Clever little minx_, he mused as he gazed through the entrance to what had once been a loading bay. Beyond that lay an intricate maze of industrial equipment, rusted from years of disuse. When he'd had her running flat-out, there hadn't been a question that he would eventually overtake her.

In this place, it was a whole other playing field.

On a metal strut fifteen feet above the floor, Jess waited for her prey in a perfectly-balanced handstand, her senses trained on the door a few feet away. She heard him before she saw him, his footsteps splashing slightly as he moved over the puddle-strewn ground. She remained absolutely still as he entered slowly, scanning for movement.

He expected her to keep running, to try to lose him in the metal labyrinth before him.

The sucker never saw it coming.

The moment he passed beneath her, she let herself swing down behind him, lashing out to lock her legs around his neck. Caught off guard, Brax pitched forward with her entire weight across his shoulders as she punched him in the side of the head. He was unconscious before he hit the floor face-down with Jess on her hands and knees, straddling his neck.

_One down_.

Jess jumped to her feet and vanished into the mechanical jungle. Less than two minutes later, the next team approached through the downpour.

To Gem and Dalton's intense frustration, the six Sector Cops assigned to their group had given up creeping in favour of trudging through the torrential rain, all subtlety abandoned.

"Surround the building," Gem told the cops, pushing her sopping hair away from her face. "Two-by-two standard formation. Go."

"Where are you going?" one of them asked in a tone just shy of accusing. Her green eyes fixed on him and he swallowed hard, suddenly regretting his words.

"I don't like repeating myself," she warned them. She waited for them to obey and turned to Dalton. "Let's go." They advanced on the building.

Within moments she spotted Brax, lying motionless, blood flowing onto the concrete floor from his nose. She crept up to him, reaching up to touch the radio button.

"Base, this is Gem. Brax is down," she reported, keeping her voice low as Dalton crouched beside him and searched for a pulse on their unit leader's throat. Gem kept her back to them, watching her surroundings carefully. They were both dripping water all over the floor.

"Gem, this is Base," Max replied. "Is he alive?" Gem looked over at Dalton, who nodded.

"He's alive. He's unconscious," Gem informed them.

"Where are you?" Max pressed her.

"The old factory on Terry Avenue," Gem reported quietly as she and the young X6 dragged Brax's dead weight out of sight.

"Gem, get him under cover and wait for back-up," Clemente interjected.

"She'll be long gone by then," Gem pointed out, straightening up and moving carefully into the main structure.

"Stay where you are, Gem," Max repeated warningly. Gem ignored her.

"Dalton, hang back and keep an eye on Brax," Gem instructed. Dalton nodded and moved to stand over the fallen X5 as Gem proceeded with care.

_X6_, Jess thought dismissively._ X5 wannabe_. With natural agility she silently negotiated the metal floor-to-ceiling posts that supported the heavier equipment.

_Come on, kitten…_ Jess thought, watching the auburn-haired transgenic from above as she cautiously made her way through the maze of old equipment. _That's it_…

"Gem, she's above you!" Dalton warned suddenly.

_Nice going, Jess. X6s aren't blind_, she chastised herself as Gem's eyes snapped upwards. _You're really living up to your genetic potential tonight_.

Jess leaped down, spinning into a kick that never connected as Gem reflexively blocked and tossed Jess onto the ground. Going with the motion, Jess rolled backwards into a crouch and straightened, advancing on her opponent. She threw a left-handed punch and Gem took the bait.

Gem caught her wrist with her left hand. Jess immediately gripped her arm tightly and dropped to the floor, pulling Gem down diagonally to deliver a ferocious kick to the stomach. Gem doubled-over as Jess's ankles locked around her neck and slammed her face-down on the floor, her arm still trapped in Jess' iron grip. Not about to be beaten, Gem twisted her hips and lashed out with a kick to Jess's side. Cursing, Jess's legs loosened for the split-second Gem needed to get free and throw Jess back onto the ground. Gem's hand grasped Jess's throat and began to squeeze.

"Dalton, call them in!" Gem ordered.

"Gamma Five, move in!" Dalton said crisply into the radio as he began moving toward the two females.

_Never thought I'd be doing this with a chick_, Jess thought as she abandoned any attempt to shake Gem off. She raised her arms and curved them backwards so her palms were flat on the concrete, kicked off the floor with all of her strength and locked her legs around Gem's hips. She used the momentum to flip them both over so that Jess was straddling Gem, holding her wrists above her head.

At that moment, the sector police came crashing through the door.

Jess saw the cops raise their rifles, their fingers on the triggers, and reacted instinctively.

"_Get down_!" she shouted, throwing herself out of the way as gunfire erupted, echoing through the building. Her transgenic opponent barely made it out of the way without being hit.

"Gem!" Dalton called out, rushing to her aid. Hearing his cry, Gem's eyes widened in alarm. She slid across the floor on all fours, keeping her head down as she tried to get to him.

"Dalton, stay down!" Gem snapped into the radio.

"Gem, what the hell is going on down there?" Max's anxious voice could be heard even above the deafening roar of gunfire. Gem could see Dalton, pinned down with his back against a cylindrical cement vat. He was facing the wall, only a few feet away, trying to spot her over his shoulder.

When the door across from him was kicked in, Gem reacted without thinking.

"_Dalton_!"

Gem leapt at him, knocking him to the ground as more cops burst in with guns blazing, past caring who they were firing at. Gem hit the floor, blood spraying grotesquely across Dalton's face as the bullet missed him by a hair's breadth.

"_Gem, no_!" Dalton cried, his young face reflecting stark fear as he hauled her around to the other side of the vat.

Despite the danger, Jess scurried towards them, stripping off her jacket amidst the chaos. The poor kid looked terrified as she tossed the leather garment to him.

"It missed the heart! Keep the pressure on!" Jess told him as a fresh hail of gunfire forced her to dive to her right behind the nearest generator. "Use the damn radio!"

_They're not gonna stop shooting while I'm still here_, she realized when the volley continued, heedless of the injured X5 in the immediate vicinity.

"Base, Gem's down and we are under fire from the cops! Repeat! Gem's down and we are taking fire!" Dalton yelled into the radio, shielding the wounded female with his own body as he tried to manoeuvre them both under better cover, holding Jess' jacket firmly over the wound.

Jess made her decision right there and then. She pulled off her beanie, letting her pale gold hair tumble around her shoulders and drew out one of her pistols.

_My turn_.

She blurred out from behind her shelter, her fair hair an unmistakable beacon for every cop to aim at. Evading the barrage of bullets with sheer speed, she squeezed off a single round.

The cop who'd opened fire on Dalton never knew what hit him.

Then she ran, leading the unrelenting hail of bullets away from the frantic X6 and his wounded comrade.

Jess never heard the voice roaring orders over the radio.

"This is Clemente! You are _not_ authorized to terminate! _Cease fire! All units! **Cease fire**_!"


	12. Only Human

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's so not worth it.**

**A/N:** Jess isn't a bad person – she helped Abby (albeit for selfish reasons) and it backfired big time – but she's still Manticore and therefore very dangerous. As for the cops opening fire - when they burst in Jess had gotten the upper hand against Gem and prejudice against transgenics is still alive and kicking (hello picketers!). More reasons will be revealed later, I promise.

**Chapter 12: Only Human**

**Fourth Avenue**

Alec cursed under his breath as he pushed his Bandit to the red-line, racing through the pouring rain. Behind him, Shaine was holding onto his waist. As soon as Gem had reported that Brax was down, she'd jumped onto the back of his motorcycle. He hadn't had time to argue with her.

"This is Alpha Leader. I'm three minutes out!" he snapped into the radio as he passed South Main Street.

"This thing'll be over before we get there!" Shaine shouted into the wind.

"I know," Alec growled in frustration.

_She's gonna leave her post_, he thought. _You know she will_.

Unwilling to take either of his hands away from steering the motorcycle, Alec shouted a request back to Shaine, who obligingly activated the radio pack for him.

"Max, don't even think about leaving that apartment!" he ordered, hoping she hadn't already barged her way out of Cindy's place determined to smack down the blonde responsible for the entire mess.

**Original Cindy's Apartment**

"I've gotta get over there!" Max said, throwing down the radio.

"Hold it, boo!" Cindy protested, planting herself firmly between Max and the door. "You ain't goin' nowhere. Those people need you here."

"They need help!" Max snapped, moving to go around Cindy, who caught her by the arm and refused to budge.

"They need their leader, Max! What are you gonna do? Get shot like your girl Gem?" Cindy demanded. "The transgenics ain't gonna listen to Ramon here now his boys opened fire."

Max was clearly torn as she glanced from Clemente, frantically barking orders into the receiver, to the door.

"_Max, don't even think about leaving that apartment_!" Even Cindy looked startled by the commanding tone of Alec's voice as it issued from the speaker, the roar of his motorcycle clearly audible in the background.

"What, is he psychic now?" Max cried in frustration.

"You heard the man, boo," Cindy warned, her grip on Max's arm becoming tighter. "They've got over thirty freaks out there huntin' this bitch down. Right now we need you to make sure this thing don't get any worse."

"I can't just do nothing," Max argued.

"This is Gamma Two, we are approaching the factory!" The report seemed to make up Max's mind. Turning away from the door, she strode over to Clemente and snatched up the radio she'd discarded.

"Gamma Two, proceed with extreme caution. Gem is down and taking fire. This is now a salvage operation. Subdue the cops but _do not_ cancel. The target is secondary. Apprehend if possible."

She met Clemente's gaze, daring him to contradict her. He merely nodded, regret written across his face.

"Understood." The remaining teams acknowledged their orders.

Max started pacing, chewing her lower lip as Cindy continued to stand between Max and the door.

**Sector Five, The Factory**

Jess came flying out of the side door of the building into the storm, her star-bright hair streaming behind her, and found herself facing a fully-armed police patrol.

Blurring without a thought, she reacted before any of the cops realized what was happening. Holstering her pistol with one hand, she bent low to slide across the rain-sodden ground.

"Let's see what you've got," she challenged them as she rose smoothly in the centre of the group.

Spinning and kicking, punching and striking like a valkyrie of old, she blazoned a bloody trail through the ordinaries in her way. She dodged bullets and blades, knowing she didn't have much time before escape was impossible. The cops were no match for her, their rifles ill-suited for combat in such close quarters. She took them down one by one, their vests and helmets of little use. When the last one fell to the ground, she turned to stride out of the alley.

Two young men stood between her and the street. They were unmistakably transgenic, facing her without a trace of fear. The dark-haired one she recognized – he'd been the second 'freak' in the group that swept her building. The other had blonde hair and blue eyes.

Two combat models. No hand-holds or fire-escapes. No way out except past them.

_Hell fucking no._

Speed was her most valuable weapon now.

"Up for a threesome?" the dark-haired one sneered.

"I'll try anything once," she replied, using her peripheral vision and multi-tasking skills to track the two of them as they began circling her like vultures.

She could hear the blonde one coming closer from behind.

_What, you think I'm deficient?_ She rolled her eyes even as she heard him make his move, reaching out to grab a hold of her.

She dropped forward onto her hands, locked her thighs around his legs and twisted hard to her right, bringing him down onto his knees. Before he could recover, she delivered a brutal kick to the ear that sent him sprawling onto the ground.

"Quinn!"

The dark-haired transgenic blurred and with her leg still underneath Quinn she couldn't effectively evade a vicious clout to the side of the head.

He put all his weight behind that punch, dragging Jess to her knees by her shirt as stars burst behind her eyes. He grabbed her by the throat with his free hand and lifted her up so she was dangling several inches off the ground.

"Having fun yet?" he asked, taunting her.

"Getting there…" Jess rasped, lifting her legs to wrap them around his torso and squeeze with all her might. He groaned as he felt his lower ribs begin to buckle under the pressure.

He slammed her up against the wall, drew his knife and plunged the blade through her left shoulder, right up to the hilt.

Jess gritted her teeth to stop herself from crying out, her fingers locked around his wrists as she struggled to loosen his grip. She stopped trying to breathe, relying on her superior lung capacity to hold her over as she let her legs fall. He twisted the knife viciously and Jess bit her lip so hard that blood ran down her chin.

He was so focused on choking her into unconsciousness that he never saw the blow coming. Mustering every last ounce of transgenic strength she possessed, Jess braced one leg against the wall and drove her knee into his groin. His eyes bulged and he staggered back, dropping her unceremoniously to the ground. He collapsed into a foetal ball and Jess wasted no time rendering him unconscious with a kick to the face.

Getting to her feet, Jess braced herself and pulled the knife out, wincing at the fresh wave of pain that sliced through her shoulder. Blood clouded her vision, running down from a cut across her hairline where the transgenic male had hit her.

There was no way she was going to escape on the streets. She could hear the cavalry advancing swiftly, the sound of many engines closing in on her position.

She cast his knife aside and pulled herself up. Pressing her free hand to her wound, she moved towards her last resort, swaying unsteadily on her feet.

The sewers.

Flinging the grate aside, she looked down into the storm-flooded drains, the roar of the rushing water momentarily giving her pause. Blood was streaming from her shoulder wound – too much blood. If she lost consciousness, she would drown.

The screech of tyres on the wet bitumen made her look up to see a lime-green motorcycle rounding the corner.

Taking a deep breath, Jess plunged into the water and was immediately swept away.

**Original Cindy's Apartment**

"Do we have anyone in the sewers?" Alec asked urgently.

"We had to pull them out when the storm broke," Max told him quickly. "It was too dangerous."

The sound of muffled cursing filled the room.

"We've lost her, guys," he finally declared. "She could be anywhere by now."

Clemente looked over at Max, who reluctantly nodded. He flipped the radio on.

"All units. This is Clemente," he said wearily. "Pull back. Target has been lost."


	13. Salvage

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**Chapter 13: Salvage**

**Harbour Lights Hospital, Emergency Department, 3:37am**

"_Somebody help_!"

The doors to the emergency department crashed open as a boy, no more than fifteen years old, raced inside with his clothes, hands and even his face smeared with blood. The nurse on duty rushed forward.

"Oh my God, are you –"

"Not me! It's her!" he cried, pointing as a handsome young man with hazel eyes hurried in carrying a lifeless young woman in his arms. Another female with long dark hair was pressing a field dressing over the victim's chest.

"She has a gunshot wound to the left upper chest, she's lost a lot of blood!" Alec reported as a trolley was wheeled over immediately. He laid her down, meeting the nurse's eyes as the doctors rushed to treat their patient.

"What's her name?" the nurse asked as they began wheeling her away, working on her as fast as they could while Alec paced beside them. When Dalton would have followed them, Shaine pulled him back.

"Gem," Alec replied crisply. "Gem Elliott."

"Do you know what her blood type is?" the nurse continued.

"You can't give her ordinary blood," Alec warned.

"She needs a transfusion," the doctor argued.

"You have to use my blood. She's transgenic," Alec told them grimly.

"She's _what_?" The doctor stopped working and backed away, gazing down at his patient in sudden horror. Alec looked over at him in alarm.

"What the hell are you doing? Help her!"

"But she's –"

"Dying if you don't do something!" Alec snapped.

"For the love of God, move over!" a new, feminine voice commanded. An Asian woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties elbowed her colleague out of the way. "Get moving!" she ordered the staff, then turned her attention to Alec, who was watching anxiously. "Stay close and we'll hook you up to her."

"Thank you." She gave him a split-second smile for the sincerity in his voice as they disappeared into the operating theatre.

Dalton was left standing in the corridor, clutching a blood-stained leather jacket in his equally blood-stained hands. He could hear them – the doctors and nurses – as they worked on her.

Gem. The X5 who'd looked after him, protected him, even in the late stages of her pregnancy with Eve. She'd shielded him again the warehouse and this time she was paying a heavy price.

What if Eve grew up without ever knowing her mother because of him?

Shaine laid a comforting arm around his shoulders, watching the emotions playing across his face.

"It's okay, Dalton," she said, stroking his scruffy blonde hair. "It wasn't your fault."

"It should have been me," he insisted, his eyes fixed on the OR doors.

"She's a soldier, Dalton," Shaine told him. "She knew what she was doing when she volunteered. She'd tell you the same thing."

"She's going to die, isn't she?" Dalton said anxiously.

"She's a fighter, kid," Shaine said confidently. "Even if she wanted to let go, she'd never leave Eve without a mother." She put a finger under his chin and made him look up at her. "We'll find the bitch that shot her, Dalton," she continued grimly. "I promise."

"But it wasn't her," Dalton protested. Shaine gave him a puzzled look.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"The cops shot Gem," Dalton clarified. "The X5 we were chasing – she gave me this to stop the bleeding." He held out the jacket he'd been hanging onto. "She tried to help."

**Harbour Lights Hospital, Gem's Room, 5:13am**

Alec looked up to see Rand and Max walk quietly into the room.

"How is she?" Max asked, gazing at the blood-filled tube connecting Alec to Gem.

"The doctor says she should be all right as long as we replenish the blood supply fast enough," Alec replied. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "I'm workin' on it. You sent the troops home?"

Max nodded.

"Gamma Three came in from the west side of the factory and handled the cops while you got Gem out," she told him. "The other teams did a final sweep but no joy. We've got people watching the sewer exits outside the city and the rest of the cops have put a lockdown on the Seattle perimeter."

"I didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to jump into a flooded sewer system," Rand observed. "Either she's got some brass ones or she needs her head read."

"Well, based on the fact that she neutralized three transgenics before we lost her, I'm gonna go with the first option," Alec replied. "Brax wasn't a unit leader for nothin'. Are the other's okay?"

"They're being checked out at the infirmary. None of them had injuries as bad as Gem's," Max told him.

"How's Tucker?" Alec asked.

"His balls are in his throat. How would you be?" Rand replied, wincing sympathetically. Alec didn't respond, not wanting to think about his own experience in that department even as his gaze fixed on Max. She seemed to know what he was thinking – her left eyebrow rose slightly.

"Quinn's got a fractured skull. Brax has concussion and a broken nose," she continued. "Our rogue took down ten sector cops without breakin' a sweat."

"Any fatalities?"

"One police officer. He took a nine-mil dead-centre between the eyes. Clemente's debriefing and he's going to call me once he's done." She smiled slightly. "We've got it covered, smart alec."

"Do you think she was making a point?" Rand asked, referring to the rogue.

"What do you mean?" Max asked curiously.

"Shaine's been talking to Dalton, getting him to run through everything that happened," Rand explained. "The kid says our rogue was carrying two visible pistols. Knowing our kind they were probably both fully loaded, so why stop after firing one round?"

"Like an eye for an eye?" Max wondered. "The cop with a bullet in his brain is the same guy who put a bullet in Gem."

"Maybe, but that doesn't track either," Alec said, thinking out loud. "She's running from us. Why try to help Gem when the cops did her a favour?"

"We didn't exactly give her a choice, guys," Rand pointed out. "So far we've taken it for granted that the thugs she pounded at Crash are on the level. Our people don't pull shit like that for fun. It's too risky, especially when you're trying to pass. There's gotta be more to it."

"You think the gang came after her?" Max asked.

"It wouldn't be the first time ordinaries targeted us," Alec said, thinking of Biggs. "The question we have to ask is why. What set them off?"

"We'd better figure it out soon," Max told them. "Once Seattle wakes up, TC's gonna be mobbed. Again."

"Brax and Quinn think she's a stealth," Rand said carefully. Alec looked up at him sharply.

"One of mine?" he asked. Rand nodded while Alec suddenly looked thoughtful. "There weren't many of us by the time Manticore burned down."

"Stealth?" Max prompted, clearly unfamiliar with the term in that context.

"Just like you'd be called a nocturnal or night combat model, me and mine are called stealths," Alec explained. "We still have the strength and speed but we were designed with agility and flexibility in mind. And brains, of course."

"Of course," Max agreed sarcastically. Alec gave her a quelling look.

"Whatever you want to call her, she knows how to play to her strengths," Rand interjected. "That factory was a maze. Brax says he never knew what hit him."

"So do you know who the surviving stealths are?" Max asked.

"Well, in the X5R unit there was me and Jewel," Alec replied. "She still hasn't been accounted for but I can't see her as a blonde."

"Tinga's twin?" Max nodded. "That tracks. She was always ahead of the class in gymnastics."

"There was Biggs and his twin, Rick," Alec said. "I haven't seen Rick since '19."

"Anyone else?" Max prompted. Alec shook his head.

"The others were either put down or KIA," he told them.

"You're sure?" she pressed. Alec looked up at her, clearly irritated.

"Hey, I'm just going off the records Logan got for us. Why don't you go ask him?"

"Mister McDowell?" Max and Rand turned to see an Asian woman in a white lab coat enter the room.

"Hey, thanks for checking in on us, Doc." Alec spoke up immediately, his frown disappearing as he smiled at her gratefully.

"I'm Doctor Woods," she introduced herself, holding out a hand first to Max and then Rand. They both shook it, following Alec's friendly lead with the newcomer. "I'm handling Gem's case."

"She's cool, guys," Alec assured them. "The Doc stepped in when the others didn't want to treat her."

"You're okay with what we are?" Max asked carefully.

"I've experienced my share of racism," Doctor Woods replied with a shrug. She looked back to Alec as Shaine stepped into the room. "We're going to switch you over now," she informed them. Alec merely nodded as she got Shaine to sit down beside Alec and began hooking her up to a donor needle.

"Any more questions?" Rand asked.

"Just one."

Alec ran a restless hand through his hair and sighed.

"Does Mole know?"

**Sector Nine, 5:30am**

The bedraggled creature that dragged itself out of the sewers, coughing up tainted water, was virtually unrecognizable as the young woman who'd eluded capture by not only the Sector Police but her own kind.

Her clothes were torn and stained; her pistols had been washed away by the deluge. She'd spent almost two hours clinging to the pipes that ran the length of the stormwater drains, knowing that she couldn't let herself be carried out into Lake Washington. Her strength already waning from the loss of blood, her left arm a liability, she'd been thrown around like a rag doll by the force of the flood.

Cold, exhausted and shaking, her cream-coloured hair and alarmingly pale skin sticky with blood, Jess collapsed into the gutter and rolled onto her back. Dark bruises marred her face. She stared up at the sky, watching lightning flash, heralding thunder to come. The rain washed over her, showing no signs of easing, and she closed her eyes for a long moment.

A full minute or so passed before she finally stirred again. She slowly got up onto her knees, her movements sluggish, and looked around to try to discern her location.

_You've gotta be kidding_, she thought in despair.

She was outside the fence of the Sector Nine Police Station.


	14. Basics

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N: **Thanks to HoneyX5-452 for pointing out that Syl's eyes are brown, not blue. It's now been fixed. : )

**Chapter 14: Basics**

**Terminal City, The Nursery, 5:57am**

"Where's the ferret?"

Ember pinned Rand with a withering look as he peeked around the door, checking to see of the coast was clear.

"Do you have to call her that?" she asked, clearly irritated.

"She's cute, temperamental and bites when provoked. Ergo – ferret," Rand replied smoothly. Ember shook her head, amused despite her determination not to be.

"No, she's not here," she informed him. "But Cleo's just woken up. You've got good timing. Go on through."

With a nod of thanks, Rand strode into the next room where the infants were resting in their cots. He found Cleo wriggling around, her dark brown eyes wide. He smiled down at his daughter and picked her up with the ease that comes with practice. She gurgled happily, her tuft of chestnut hair curling adorably.

Rand smiled down at his daughter, rocking her gently.

"You know, you're squidgier than your mom," he mused. "You look like her. Don't get me wrong – that's a good thing. She just drives me up the wall." He sighed. "You wouldn't do that, would you?"

Blissfully unaware of her father's aversion to her mother, Cleo blew a raspberry.

"Things are simpler for you, aren't they? Everything's very un-complicated." He stroked her hair gently. "It's a shame it doesn't stay that way."

He walked over to Eve's crib and gazed down at the auburn-haired child, sleeping peacefully.

"Your mom's gonna be away for a few days, angel," he murmured. Eve stirred slightly, made a soft cooing sound, and settled again. Rand eventually turned and walked out into the main room.

Ember was preparing a bottle for Cleo when she looked up and saw him. After giving it a final shake, she handed it to Rand.

"Just in time," she said with a grin. "She'll start crying in a couple of minutes." Rand smiled his thanks and Ember let her breath out slowly, watching father and daughter contentedly.

"Is Jett out of the infirmary yet?" Rand asked, meeting her eyes.

"The medics were tossing up," Ember replied. "Either last evening or sometime today. He was gonna swing by so I guess he's still in there."

"So you've been talkin' to him?" Rand continued, watching Ember's expression. She grinned.

"The conversation's pretty one-sided but yeah," she replied, eyes dancing with amusement. Rand chuckled, acknowledging the truth of her observation.

"I suppose 'the quiet type' doesn't really cover it," he conceded.

"Definitely not," Ember replied, "but I babble enough for both of us."

"That's good," Rand said, smiling at her in approval. For a moment there was silence.

"So what happened?" she finally asked. "I heard there was trouble."

"That's putting it lightly," Rand said blandly. "Turns out our rogue's more resourceful than we gave her credit for. She got away."

"Girl power, huh?" Ember joked.

"She took out Brax, Tucker and Quinn. Gem's in the hospital. The cops shot her."

"Is she gonna be all right?" Ember asked in sudden concern.

"Alec and Shaine gave her some blood so the Doc says she'll be fine. We've gotta give her some time. The bullet just missed her heart. It wasn't pretty."

"Are they still there?"

"I brought Alec back," Rand said with a small shrug. "Poor guy was dead on his feet. Shaine and Dalton stayed. The kid won't leave until he's sure Gem's gonna pull through."

"Sounds like something Mole would do," Ember said, her smile suddenly fading as a thought struck her. "Wait, has anyone told Mole yet?"

"No, Alec insisted on telling Mole himself," Rand said, shaking his head. "I don't envy him." Then he looked past Ember as the main doors opened. "Speak of the devil…"

Alec strode onto the nursery, if anything looking even worse than he had barely fifteen minutes before when Rand had dropped him at Mole's building. He was clearly tired, his skin slightly pale from donating blood to Gem and there was the first hint of stubble on his face.

When he came closer, Ember decided he was also in dire need of a shower. He hadn't bothered to change his blood-stained, sweat-soaked clothes and he was still damp from riding through the storm.

Ember saw many admirable traits in Alec as a leader but it was his damn stubborn refusal to stop until it was _all_ over that made her respect him most. He didn't ask anything of anyone that he wasn't willing to do himself.

"Rand, do you know where Mole is?" he asked, his patience at its limit.

"I thought he'd be with you," Rand replied, a worried frown appearing on his handsome face.

Alec flipped open his phone, hit a speed dial and held it to his ear.

"_Headquarters_."

"Luke, it's Alec. Gimme a twenty on Mole. Now."

"_One second_."

Almost a full minute passed before the one-eyed transgenic finally gave Alec the answer he needed.

"_He's not in Terminal City_," Luke informed him. "_The guards saw him blaze outta here about half an hour ago_."

"Shit…" Alec breathed in frustration.

**Sector Nine Police Station, 6:03am**

Max was sitting at Clemente's desk, discussing the results of the debriefing, when her cell phone rang. With a weary sigh and an apologetic glance at the Detective, Max answered it.

"_Hey, Max, it's Alec_."

"Alec? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

"_Max, Mole took off before I got back_," Alec told her quickly, the tension in his voice making her uneasy. "_He knows the Sector Nine cop shop was the ordinaries' base for this_."

"Tell me you're joking," Max pleaded.

"What's wrong?" Clemente asked, seeing the look on her face.

"Your men shot the one X5 with a pissed-off lizard-man for a bodyguard," Max informed him. "That's what's wrong."

"_Max, Mole's got about a half hour head start_," Alec informed her. "_He'll be close if he's not there already_."

"What'd he steal?"

"_Biggs' old motorcycle_."

"Thanks for the heads –"

A shotgun firing cut her off mid-sentence and Max leaped out of her chair, spinning towards the noise in alarm.

"_Max!_" Alec's voice faded into the background as she cast the phone onto a desk without a thought, instinctively dropping into a combat stance.

Max's eyes widened as the doors slammed open so hard they splintered.

There was Mole, dragging a semi-conscious cop along the floor, his shotgun at the ready.

"Mole?" Max asked, moving closer to him as every police officer in the room drew their weapons.

"Hold your fire!" Clemente ordered, glaring at his men.

"_I want. To know. Who shot her_."

Mole enunciated each word clearly, menacingly, advancing on the cops as he spoke.

"Mole, please." Max kept her voice pitched low, knowing he could hear every word she said. "Let him go."

"_Who shot her!_" Mole snarled, literally throwing the cop halfway across the room so that he crashed into a desk and onto the floor.

"Mole, no!" Max cried, rushing forward to latch onto the transhuman's arm in a futile attempt to physically restrain him. "Mole, back down! That's an order!"

Mole flung her aside so hard her lower back slammed into the edge of another desk and pain shot up her spine. Mole grabbed the nearest cop, easily dodging the bullet he fired. Mole wrested the gun from his grasp, and put him in a stranglehold. He wedged the muzzle of the shotgun under the officer's chin and all colour drained out of his face.

"Mole, let him go!" Max ordered. "_Mole_!"

"Release him!" Clemente snapped, standing between Mole and the rest of the officers.

"This isn't going to change what happened to Gem," Max argued, coming forward to grab hold of Mole's wrists. "She wouldn't want you to do this!"

"The officer who shot her is in the morgue! He's dead!" Clemente informed him.

"It's not good enough," Mole growled, his grip on his captive's neck dangerously tight. If he squeezed any harder, his neck would break.

"So what about Eve?" Max shot back. "Who's gonna protect her when they lock your ass up for attacking cops?"

Max felt him go still and held her breath, waiting for him to decide.

It was the longest minute of her life.

No-one dared make a sound.

Finally, Mole shoved the cop away from him and strode outside, cursing loudly.

"Are you all right?" Max asked gently. The cop nodded, still coughing as he caught his breath.

Max looked over at Clemente, surrounded by his men, all with their weapons trained on her.

"Go," he told her. "But –"

"I know," she said. "It's outta your hands."

With that, Max turned and jogged out the door to catch up to Mole. She found him getting onto Bigg's motorcycle. Hands on her hips, she glared at the furious transhuman.

"Get to the hospital and stay there. Got it?"

Mole finally looked at her as he revved the engine.

"Got it."


	15. Friction

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**Chapter 15: Friction**

**Terminal City Headquarters, Tech Room, 6:17am**

Alec stalked into Headquarters, frustration uppermost in his mind. He'd just gotten off the phone with Max. She was still with Clemente at the police station, trying to talk through their problems.

Like a genetically-engineered reptilian transhuman with murder on his mind.

Someone had spilled the beans. It wasn't like Mole to just up and abandon his post, particularly when he was the one in charge. The moment Luke had reported that Mole was gone, Alec had guessed the reason.

He made his way to the operations area, the unofficial command centre of Terminal City.

"Okay, boys and girls," Alec said, clapping his hands once, loudly, to get their attention. "Listen up."

"Hey, Alec," Dix greeted him, looking a little nervous. Alec nodded to him.

"So, how did Mole find out about Gem?" Alec asked without preamble, looking around the room for answers. "Thoughts? Theories? Anyone?"

The crew, mostly transhumans, suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

"Spill it, guys," Alec said sternly, his hazel eyes moving over each and every tech operator.

"It was Logan," Dix finally said reluctantly. "He arrived just after you guys left. He was monitoring all communications and reporting anything he thought we should know."

"Logan?" Alec asked, looking thoroughly exasperated. "Great. That's just great. Where is he now?"

"He just went to get some coffee," Luke replied with a shrug.

"Good. I could use a cup," Alec muttered as he turned and left the room.

It didn't take long to find Logan. The scruffy-looking, blue-eyed human was staring out of a grubby window, a mug of steaming liquid in his hand.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Alec snapped. Logan looked up and frowned, apparently bewildered.

"About what?" Logan asked calmly.

"Don't play dumb. Mole," Alec replied. "You told him about Gem."

"He had a right to know what was happening," Logan insisted.

"Not like that," Alec shot back. "Do you realize how close he came to killing some cops down in Sector Nine?"

"You're telling me you care about the cops?" Logan sneered in disbelief.

"I care about the fact that Max was down there with Clemente," Alec informed him angrily and Logan's eyes widened in sudden apprehension. "You endangered lives. Mole went down there looking for blood and Max was the one who had to stop him. We can't afford to have the public turn on us like they did after we were first exposed."

Logan didn't reply. He just stood there with his arms folded across his chest, glowering at Alec, who shook his head in disgust.

"Get out," Alec told him darkly, fierce hazel eyes colliding with stubborn blue. "If you can't get with the program, you're a liability."

"Max won't –"

"Don't even go there," Alec warned. "Just leave."

**Alec's TC Apartment, 7:42am**

Alec had finally retreated to the peace and quiet of his apartment. He looked in the bathroom mirror and had to admit that what he saw wasn't very appealing. He was a mess. Bone tired, all he wanted to do was have a shower and crawl into bed.

_What the hell happened?_ he wondered, turning the events of the night over in his mind. Everything had started so well. The heist had gone off without a hitch. He'd been looking forward to cracking open a beer with the boys – and Max, of course – when Clemente had shown up and put Terminal City on full alert with his anything-but-fair tidings. Then Gem was shot, they lost their quarry and Logan exacerbated the entire situation.

He took a deep breath and splashed his face with cold water.

A stealth model. If Brax was right and the pain-in-the-ass blonde was one of Alec's kind, it threw a spanner in the works. By their very natures, stealths were highly adaptable – psychological chameleons. They absorbed information at a rate that was almost frightening. She'd already proven to be very smart. She'd taken Brax down without him ever seeing who or what had hit him, though according to Tucker she was wounded now. That gave the people of Terminal City an edge… as long as they could find her.

_Come on, who is she?_ He racked his brain, going over the records he'd memorised. Only three stealths remained - himself, Jewel and Rick. There'd been eight originally but after the '09 escape there'd only been five. Two more had been killed since, not including Brother Ben.

Unless Logan was wrong.

The thought made Alec's eyes narrow slightly. Eyes Only was usually reliable, his sources accurate, but the possibility was intriguing. In fact, one of the "inactive" females fit the description…

The sound of someone stomping up the stairs caught Alec's attention. He didn't even bother to turn around. He knew who was about to kick open the door. He waited, resigned to replacing the lock and handle.

The predicted crash of breaking wood grated on his sensitive ears.

"Where do you get off throwing Logan outta TC?" The strident yet all-too-familiar sound of Max shouting at him prompted Alec to let out a weary sigh, close his eyes and rub his sinuses for a moment.

_My kingdom for some aspirin_, he thought wryly.

"Well, this place could kill him for a start," he replied glibly. "Toxins ringin' a bell?"

"Don't bullshit me, Alec," she warned.

"Max, he's the dumbest smart guy alive," Alec pointed out, trying to keep the anger out of his tone. "What he did was stupid, it was irresponsible and it could have gotten someone – namely you and Mole – killed."

"That wasn't his fault."

"Like hell. He knows better," Alec argued, turning to look her squarely in the eyes. "He didn't care, Max."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

After a long night of blood, stress and pouring rain with no sleep and now Max on his ass, Alec's temper was reaching breaking point.

"It means that you're his Holy-fucking-Grail, Max," Alec said heatedly. "He didn't give a shit about what could have happened to Mole if you hadn't been there. He was shrugging it off like his pasta was overcooked. The only reason he's here at all is you."

"He's done more for us than –"

"Than who, Maxie?" Alec raged, turning and advancing on her so swiftly that Max backed up in alarm. "Me? Selfish, unreliable, arrogant Alec?"

"Alec, I –"

"Come on, Max, what'd I do wrong this time? I'm the bane of your existence, remember. Hell, why should I put the freaks before your boyfriend? He comes first, right?" Alec had the totally irrational urge to grab her and shake her.

"Of course not!" Max said heatedly, dark eyes blazing.

"So what's your problem?" Alec snarled, so vehemently that Max stared at him, stunned by such an uncharacteristic display of temper. "Excuse me for caring about Gem and Brax and every other person here while you obsess over the self-righteous Eyes Only and his one-man crusade!"

Alec picked up his jacket and headed towards the door.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Max snapped, following him determinedly.

"If I don't walk away from you, I'm gonna slap you!" Alec shouted.

"Where the hell are you going?" Max demanded angrily.

"Away!" Alec shot back. With that, Alec stalked out of his own apartment and slammed the door behind him, leaving Max to fume alone.

**Terminal City Infirmary, 7:56am**

"Hey, how're you feelin'?" Alec asked, stepping into what passed for the "overnighters" ward.

"My nose is twice its normal size but apart from that I'm peachy," Brax replied with a shrug as he looked Alec up and down. "You look like shit."

"Gee, thanks," Alec snarked as he began pacing beside his friend's bed.

"What's got you all rotated?" Brax asked, gazing at Alec shrewdly. "Wait, let me guess. Max."

"Home run," Alec said blandly.

"What's her beef this time?"

"I threw Logan outta TC," Alec told him. Brax's eyebrows rose.

"I'll bet that went down well."

"I stormed out of my own apartment," he confessed sheepishly.

"Isn't she supposed to storm out of your apartment?" Brax asked, clearly amused.

"I had to leave before I got physical."

"I was wonderin' how long it'd be before you snapped at her," Brax told him.

"'Snapped' is kind of a loose term," Alec admitted, running a hand through his hair.

"Everyone has limits, Alec," Brax advised him. "Even you. She had to learn that sometime."

"I suppose so," Alec mused, finally sagging into the chair beside Brax's bed. "Change the subject. Please?"

"Okay, when's Jett getting out?" Brax asked.

"Nicely done," Alec said with a nod.

"I try," Brax said simply.

"I don't know," Alec confessed. "I guess I should probably find out."

"At least have a shower first, man. You're not exactly lemony fresh."

"I just want to make sure I haven't missed anything before I crash."

"Have you slept at all?"

"Adrenaline's a wonderful thing."

"Sometimes I wish I was nocturnal like Max and Ember," Brax told him, eyes twinkling. "But then again, I kinda like being able to sleep in when I get the chance."

"Preachin' to the choir, Brax," Alec said with a tired grin. He reluctantly got to his feet. "I'll check on Jett and get back to you."

"No rush, pretty boy," Brax assured him. "Get some rest, huh? You're no good to us when you're exhausted."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Any time," Brax replied with a chuckle as Alec stepped out into the corridor.

Alec had to pass Sari's "office" on his way so he poked his head in, figuring it'd be quicker to just ask her. She smiled up at him welcomingly.

"Hey there. Is Jett awake?"

Sari had a puzzled expression on her face.

"Jett's not here," she informed him.

"What are you talkin' about?"

"We released him last night at about seven," Sari explained. "He was sick of staring at the walls so we cut him loose. He was going to see Ember."

Alec was suddenly frowning.

"Ember hasn't seen him," he said, folding his arms across his chest. "As far as anyone knows, he's still here."

Sari's expression became anxious as she absorbed that information.

"We figured it was best to do it while Brock and Vance were on guard duty."

"The guard shifts changed before the sweep in Sector Five," Alec replied, looking more worried by the second. "They didn't volunteer."

Sari's eyes widened.

"Oh my God…" she breathed.

"Where's Cain?" Alec asked.

The look on Sari's face gave him the answer.


	16. Blood Trails

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N:** Thanks for the feedback, guys! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Keep reviewing! Please please please!

**Chapter 16: Blood Trails**

**Terminal City Infirmary, 8:01am**

Alec paced in the corridor outside Sari's office as he waited for Rand to answer his phone.

"_Rand here_."

"It's Alec. You busy?"

"_Not when somethin's got _you_ rattled_," Rand replied. "_When and where?_"

"HQ, ten minutes ago and pick up Joshua on your way through," Alec replied.

"_Done_," Rand said simply, hanging up without further ado. Alec walked straight back inside and into Brax's ward.

"We've got a problem. Sorry to do this, man, but I need you to come with me," Alec said, the look on his face doing more to convince Brax that it was urgent than any argument he could have offered.

"It's my nose that's broken, not my legs," Brax told him, throwing the covers aside and reaching for the fresh clothes at the foot of the bed. "Only reason I'm here is 'cause Shaine's been calling Sari to check up on me."

"I'll meet you out front," Alec told him.

"Two minutes," Brax replied. With a nod, Alec strode out of the building and fired up his Bandit. As promised, Brax jogged out the door on time and jumped on the back.

"We're meeting Rand at headquarters," Alec told him. "We can't find Jett."

"What do you mean you can't find him?" Brax asked as Alec revved the engine and they took off.

"I mean that he was released last night and Cain's boys weren't on sweep."

"Can't this thing go any faster?" was Brax's only response.

**Terminal City Headquarters, 8:15am**

"Hey, Josh." Alec greeted the dog-man with a fair measure of relief as he walked into the tech room with Rand. "I need your help. I was hopin' you could help us track Jett down. You know, sniff him out?"

"Sure thing, Medium Fella," Joshua agreed, nodding his shaggy head. Alec gave him a grateful clap on the shoulder and Joshua returned the gesture affectionately.

"Okay, boys. Here's the deal," Alec began, his gaze sweeping over the three friends who'd answered his summons without hesitation. "Jett got outta the Infirmary at around seven last night and apparently never made it to Ember's place."

"Brock and Vance wouldn't have acted on their own," Rand said thoughtfully. "The simplification actually worked on them."

"Cain was released a couple of hours after he was over the concussion," Alec explained. "Jett's injuries were worse. He had seven broken ribs so they kept him longer."

"And conveniently released him while we were all on the heist," Rand said angrily. "Whose idea was that?"

"Technically there was nothing more they could do for him," Alec continued. "I don't want to hear about anyone giving Sari or any of the other medics a hard time, okay?"

They all grumbled but agreed to his terms.

"If they're outside TC, they might have some problems getting back in," Dix told them, looking up from his surveillance screens.

"What now?" Alec asked with a long-suffering sigh.

"Oh, just the crowd outside the fence is getting bigger. You know – guns, signs, people throwing rotten food," Luke chimed in. "Nothing we haven't seen before."

"Cops?" Rand asked.

"Some, but mainly crowd control so far," Dix reported. "I don't think the general population knows about Mole's little excursion yet."

"Okay, Rand and Brax, I want you guys to try to find Cain, Brock and Vance," Alec instructed them. "Josh and I are going to see if we can sniff out Jett. Any questions?"

"Yeah!" a new voice called out. The group turned to find a certain transgenic redhead standing a few feet away, hands on her hips and looking furious.

"Ember? Who's at the nursery?" Rand asked in consternation.

"Kestrel's watching the kids. What the hell's going on?" Ember demanded, her blue eyes flashing fire. "She told me Jett's missing."

"The guards have all reported in," Luke said, looking over at the group. "No-one's seen Cain, Brock or Vance since they went off duty last night."

"What?" Ember asked in alarm, her voice steely. She looked up at Alec accusingly. "Were you planning on telling me?"

"Ember, we don't have time for this. Yell at me later. Top off my night," Alec told her dryly, refusing to back down from yet another irate female. "In the meantime, how about making yourself useful?"

"I'm going with you," she told him. "Useful enough?"

"Ember, I don't think -"

"I'm going whether you like it or not," Ember said adamantly, cutting Alec off ruthlessly. Behind her, Brax shook his head at Alec. Arguing with her was a waste of time.

"Fine. Here." Alec handed her a 9mm which she expertly checked. Tucking it into her belt, she quickly threw her red-gold hair back into a ponytail.

"Ready when you are," she said, watching him expectantly.

"All right, you're with Josh and I," Alec told her. She nodded in response and gave Josh a smile.

Max chose that moment to walk in on their little party. Clearly not expecting to find a small crowd in Headquarters, she stopped dead for a second, looking around in bewilderment.

"Am I missing something?"

"We're going to look for Jett," Brax told her when Alec didn't even acknowledge her presence.

"I thought he was in the Infirmary," she said, still confused.

"Nope, and he hasn't been seen since Sari released him," Rand informed her.

"Can I help?" Max asked immediately.

"When I need someone to question every move I make, I'll let you know," Alec told her, finally meeting her eyes. There wasn't so much as a hint of warmth or humour in their hazel depths.

It was that look, the cold expression on his face, that made Max realize that she'd finally pushed him too far. He wasn't just going to shrug off the fight in his apartment.

"Alec –"

"Don't bother," he warned her angrily. He turned away from her and signalled to the group. "Let's go."

Max watched them go, a sinking feeling in her gut as her dark eyes fixed on Alec's retreating figure.

He'd never refused to forgive her before. He usually just let it slide, made a couple of jokes about her nasty temper and got over it. He was angry at her, and as much as she hated admitting it, he had every right to be. She'd kicked his door in, shouted at him for protecting the people in Terminal City over her "you'll-keel-over-and-die-if-I-touch-you" boyfriend, and driven him out of his own apartment.

_Way to alienate your second-in-command, Max_, she censured herself.

"Max? Are you up for some coffee?"

She turned to look over at Dix, who grinned impishly. Smiling gratefully in return, she nodded.

"Come on, before Luke catches us," she said teasingly. Yet as Dix started walking ahead of her, the smile faded and she bit her lip.

_You've done it now, Max_. _How're you gonna fix this one?_

No answer was forthcoming.

**Terminal City, 9:39am**

Joshua paused, like a bloodhound that had caught a scent.

"Josh?" Alec prompted. "What is it?"

Sniffing delicately, Joshua began moving slowly, carefully.

"Blood," he said softly. "Jett."

Glancing sidelong at Ember, Alec saw the flash of concern in her eyes at Joshua's words. Without argument, they followed the dog-man, watching carefully for any sign of the stray X5 male.

As they got closer, Alec and Ember could smell it too. Slightly metallic, it made Alec's nose wrinkle in distaste. Joshua led them steadily to one of the abandoned building's they had yet to find a use for. Advanced Recombinant Genetics – the same building where he and Max had found the snake that belonged to CJ Sandeman.

It was the dark, muddied marks on the ground that made Alec swallow hard, sternly reminding himself to be cautious. Cain, Brock and Vance had yet to be accounted for. They made their way inside and Ember's eyes widened in fear.

There was blood streaked across the floor, leaving a dark trail through the building.

_He dragged himself in here_, Alec realized, dread settling into the pit of his stomach.

Throwing caution to the wind, Ember suddenly broke into a run, following the bloody path with Joshua and Alec at her heels.

"Ember!" Alec's hushed call went unheeded as she rounded a corner and came to halt so abruptly that Alec ran into the back of her. He heard her gasp and anything he might have said vanished from his mind as he saw the same thing she did.

Jett was slumped against the wall, his only identifying feature the hair that fell around his eyes. The rest of him was unrecognizable.

They'd taken to him with something very sharp, probably a knife or broken glass. He was shirtless, shoeless – even his jeans were shredded. They'd sliced open every inch of skin they could access, using shallow cuts that bled profusely and made sure the victim remained conscious… for a while. His face, his chest and arms were a bloodied, beaten mess. It must have taken hours. His legs were clearly broken in several places, sticking out at unnatural angles.

Only his wrists were untouched.

The bastards had held him down.

With something that sounded almost like a sob, Ember rushed to Jett's side. She carefully put her hand under his chin, reaching up to stroke her other hand through his hair.

"He's still breathing. Jett," she said softly, her voice shaking. "Jett, it's Ember, can you hear me? I know you're not big on talking but now would be a really good time…" She looked up at Alec with tears in her eyes.

Turning away from the heartbreaking scene, Alec pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed another speed dial. Joshua, staring down at Jett and Ember, snuffled sadly. When Alec spoke, the anger in his voice was unmistakable.

"We found Jett. We need a medic in the Advanced Recombinant Genetics building. It's an emergency."


	17. Seeing Red

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N:** To everyone who reviewed, thank you so much! For anyone who's angry at me for damaging Jett, I promise Cain will get what's coming to him. I haven't even started with Max and Alec and as for Jess – she's biding her time. Enjoy!

**Chapter 17: Seeing Red**

**Terminal City Infirmary, 10:22am**

_I hate this place_, Alec thought as he sat in the waiting room with Joshua and Ember.

The medics had been working on Jett for just under half an hour. Alec had thought that the cuts and the broken bones were the worst of Jett's injuries until he'd gotten closer. Only then had he smelt it – burned flesh. Beneath the drying blood, Jett's skin had been badly scorched. His ribs were in even worse condition than when he'd first fought Cain in Ember's apartment and his throat had been slit – not deeply. They'd wanted him to bleed out slowly.

That was just Alec's initial evaluation, based on his field med training.

Alec had thought he knew what hate was. He'd hated Manticore for many reasons. They'd beaten him down, tried to break him more than once. Before it had been burned to the ground, Manticore had taken away everyone he ever cared about. They'd killed Rachel. They'd separated him from the unit he'd grown up with. Further disciplinary training had been behind the move. He and Jace had been sent to the Seattle base while the rest were shipped to Quantico, or in Sam's case to Division Twelve. Alec didn't want to lose anyone else. Yet in less than twelve hours he'd come dangerously close to losing several good friends – Brax, Gem and now Jett.

He looked over at Ember, whose dark blue eyes were glued to the doors Jett had disappeared through. She was scared and struggling not to let it show.

Oh yes, Alec's definition of hate had shot to an entirely new level. He hated Cain, Brock and Vance. Jett had protected someone he cared about and in return they'd tortured him so badly that Alec knew that even Renfro would have been proud.

"You okay, Medium Fella?" Seeing the grim look on Alec's face, Joshua laid a gentle hand on Alec's shoulder. Alec looked up at him and tried to summon a smart alec smile for his friend.

He failed miserably.

"Jett be okay," Joshua said, imbuing such faith into that simple statement that Alec felt immediately grateful. "Won't give up without a fight."

"He shouldn't have to fight any more," Alec said, rubbing his eyes quickly. "Manticore's gone."

"Jett fights for Ember," Joshua declared quietly, once again displaying the keen emotional insight that often caught people by surprise. Few had realized how much Jett cared for the sassy redhead, but Joshua obviously had.

Sari's entrance cut off any reply Alec might have made. He jumped to his feet.

"He's not going to die, is he?" Ember asked anxiously.

"He's stable… for the moment," Sari told them.

"Can I see him?" Ember asked immediately.

"Not yet," Sari told her gently. "We've managed to stop the bleeding from the throat and set the broken bones but we're still cleaning up the rest of him."

"What about scarring?" Alec asked. Sari hesitated.

"We don't know at this point," she eventually replied. "I've never treated anyone with so much tissue damage. With transgenic healing abilities, he _should_ be okay given a few months but there's no way to be sure. His body's in shock."

Seeing the distressed look on Ember's face, Alec said the only comforting thing he could think of.

"Jett's tough, Ember," he reassured her. "Thanks, Sari. You'd better get back in there."

With a nod, the female transgenic darted back into the makeshift operating theatre.

"Take it easy, Ember," Alec told her, watching her begin to pace. "We've still got a while to go."

At that moment, his phone sounded. He picked it up immediately.

"Alec."

"_It's Brax_."

"What have you got?"

"_We found them_."

With his back to her, Alec didn't see Ember look up sharply, anger flashing across her features.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"_The BioGen warehouse_," Brax replied as a low beeping tone interrupted the conversation. "Shit, the battery's dying…" Brax muttered.

"All right, hold them until I get there later," Alec told him.

"_You got it_."

"_Alive_, Brax," Alec clarified, forcing the words out despite the bitter taste they left in his mouth.

"_I said I've got it_." Alec heard the click that meant Brax had hung up and turned around to find he was now alone with Joshua.

"Ember?" Alec looked around the waiting room. "Hey, Josh, where'd she go?"

"Said she had to check on Bo," Joshua replied. "Left in a hurry."

Alec closed his eyes and groaned. With cat-sensitive ears, she'd heard every word Brax had said to him.

"Josh, wait here in case there's news about Jett," Alec instructed. The dog-man nodded as Alec raced out of the waiting room, down the corridor and out of the building only to find no sign of her.

She was gone.

**Sector Five, Jess's Apartment, 10:45am**

"A Suzuki Katana. Niiice."

Max let her eyes roam admiringly over the silver motorcycle sitting in the third storey apartment. A few feet away, Logan was digging through the bag their rogue had been packing. He looked up and his brow creased into a puzzled frown.

"How did she get that up here in the first place?" he asked. "It must weight a ton."

"Probably the stairs," Max shrugged. "We're a little stronger than most humans."

"So what's the point in keeping a motorcycle inside anyway?" he continued, still questioning the logic of the vehicle's position. "It would have done her more good if she'd kept it down on the street."

"And chance someone ripping it off?" Max scoffed. "No way."

"With the crime rate in this city, I guess I can see your point," Logan allowed.

"Clemente said his guys are finished with this place," Max informed him. "I told him we'd move it all to TC."

"Mind telling me why?" Logan asked, moving towards a battered set of shelves.

"We can use the bike, for a start," Max replied, swinging a leg over to sit down and grip the handles. "The rest we'll give to the ops boys, see if they can find any clues about our mystery blonde."

"Considering how protective you are of your motorcycle, don't you think it's possible that she might come back for hers?" Logan put forward.

"Look, if she actually managed to get outta Seattle, she'll blaze first chance she gets," Max reasoned. "If she's still within the city limits, walkin' back in here would be like walkin' into the Oval Office and waving a gun around."

"Stupid?"

"Stupid," Max confirmed.

"Well, based on her reading material, she's anything but that," Logan observed, picking up a few worn hardcover books. The shelf was full of them.

"Whaddya mean?" Max asked, getting off the bike so she could walk to his side.

"Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, William Shakespeare…" He squinted at the third book in surprise. "L. Frank Baum?"

"Huh?" Max said, regarding him blankly.

"A transgenic who reads the Wizard of Oz," Logan said thoughtfully. "Interesting."

"Still clueless over here," Max reminded him impatiently.

"The Oz books are children's stories, Max," Logan explained. "My mother read these to me when I was a kid. Good over evil, that kind of thing. The girl gets swept away by a cyclone and fights the bad guys in a land called Oz."

"Sounds kinda familiar, actually," Max said, a faraway look on her face. Realizing what she meant, Logan nodded slightly.

"Ames White as the Wicked Witch," he mused, a slight smile on his face. "I guess thatmakes Headquarters your Emerald City."

"My what?"

"Never mind," Logan said, putting the book back on the shelf. Pursing her lips for a moment, Max decided to change the subject.

"How's it going at Joshua's old place?" she asked.

"Fine," Logan said, his tone non-committal. "Boyd dropped off my equipment about an hour ago."

Max winced.

"Look, Logan… I'm really sorry about Alec –"

"Max, it's okay," Logan assured her. "He was angry, he needed someone to blame. I just happened to be the lucky one in the firing line."

"No, it's not okay," Max told him. "He had no right to throw you out like that."

"He was worried about you," Logan replied. "In his place, I'd probably have done the same thing. He'll get over it. Just give him some time."

"Sure," Max said softly, turning away from Logan. She chewed her lip anxiously. "Just give him some time…"

**BioGen Warehouse, 11:03am**

Ember crept into the building through its roof access and sat on a crossbeam, watching the scene playing out below with narrowed eyes.

Cain, Brock and Vance were on their knees. Their wrists and ankles were securely bound and they had gags in their mouths. She saw with some satisfaction that she wasn't the only one with a score to settle.

Rand and Brax had already gone to work on the three animals who'd brutalized Jett. Their faces swollen, their bodies bruised, they'd obviously been on the receiving end of a fairly thorough beating. Cain was the worst. He was receiving attention from both Rand and Brax while Brock and Vance had only one transgenic each to worry about.

She descended quickly, climbing down the rough brick wall with ease. She finally jumped to the ground and marched over to them. Rand saw her first.

"Ember?"

When he would have intercepted her, she held up a hand to ward him off and approached her nemesis.

Ember loosened the gag, tugged it off and gazed down at Cain, her face oddly devoid of expression. Despite his perilous situation, Cain smirked up at her.

"Hello, Em."

The strike caught everyone by surprise. Her fist slammed into the right side of his head, throwing him sideways.

Cain actually chuckled.

"Is that all you've got?" he taunted her, struggling back onto his knees.

"Ember, come on. You're done here," Brax told her, grasping her arm. She jerked away from him and Brax reluctantly backed off, going to stand beside Rand.

"Sadistic son-of-a-bitch," Ember spat.

She drew the 9mm pistol Alec had given her as Rand and Brax both dove towards her.

"_Ember!_"

Too late.

The gunshot echoed through the warehouse as Cain fell back, blood spraying the concrete floor behind him. He crashed onto the ground, dark liquid pooling around his head, a curiously surprised look on his face.

Rand wrenched the weapon from her grasp.

She looked up at him, her dark eyes stormy, defiant.

"_Now_ I'm done here."


	18. Puzzle Pieces

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's so not worth it.**

**A/N: **_Wow, guys! I'm gonna try to answer as many questions as I can so here it goes… I'm glad everyone likes Jett and Ember. I was so worried my originals might not be well received but the response has been fantastic! Sadly, I'm a believer in the idea that not everyone can come through a story unscathed. As for Jess, I haven't forgotten about her – she's in this chapter._

**Candy** – please keep in mind that Alec has been the victim of Max's temper since the day he met her. I think he's due for a tantrum. Max, on the other hand, wasn't thinking in terms of the bigger picture. As for the X5s – Lydecker once said they couldn't be housebroken and he was damn well right!

**jasw494** – yes, Alec and Jess are going to run into each other and they'll have an interesting dynamic. Just wait until she gets proactive!

**calistra** – Alec military, Max ordinaries. As for being nice to Logan, Max never said she thought Alec was right but in hindsight she can see his point of view. And Alec's day is gonna get worse… At this point he's been awake for twenty-nine hours straight. Poor guy.

**Numbly Breaking** – Jess, the wild card and the catalyst for the story, likes to read to unwind. She's a sponge, like Alec. As for popping these out fast, I was on a roll and afraid to stop!

**Ro** - I know, Logan's boring. I'm trying _so_ hard to not Logan-bash but I don't think its working very well.

**darkangelgirl** – the point of that fight and the fallout from it is to make Max realize that in many ways she takes Alec for granted. As Brax said, everyone has limits. BTW, Jett and Ember will figure things out. )

**Chapter 18: Puzzle Pieces**

**Terminal City, BioGen Warehouse, 11:13am**

"Why?" Alec asked softly, looking from Cain's body to the redhead who'd killed him. She was standing a few feet away from him, her arms folded across her chest. She drew herself up to her full five feet and six inches, unrepentant to the last.

"He was a rabid dog," Ember said darkly, locking eyes with Alec. "So I put him down."

Alec's expression hardened. "What gave you the right?"

"He gave up his rights when he tortured Jett," Ember snapped angrily.

Alec's hazel eyes held Ember's dark blue gaze for several long moments.

Cain was dead, his body cold. Blood had puddled around him, creeping grotesquely across the floor. Looking at him, Alec couldn't summon up a single ounce of sympathy for the X5. He knew that if he'd gotten there first, he might have done the same thing. Rand and Brax had demonstrated remarkable restraint, limiting themselves to beating Brock and Vance to a bloody, whimpering pulp.

They were now staring at Cain's lifeless form, looking pathetically lost.

Donald Lydecker had done some brutal things to 'his kids'. He'd beaten them, broken them, torn their minds apart in PsyOps but he'd never inflicted pain for the pleasure of doing so. Not like Renfro.

And not like the animal Ember had so effectively destroyed.

Alec's weary mind couldn't come up with a single solution to his current dilemma. Ember had killed Cain in cold blood and he couldn't just let her walk away. Max would have his head and probably a couple of other appendages. She was so intent on making TC a legitimate community that followed the laws of the ordinary world.

Sherefused to seethat they weren't ordinary, and could never be ordinary. If Cain had lived, he'd have struck again. He'd gotten a taste for blood. Given time someone else would have ended up in even worse condition than Jett. What Ember had done was a necessary evil but he knew Max wouldn't see it that way.

What could he do? Lock Ember up? Terminal City didn't have a jail or a brig. At Manticore she'd have been thrown into PsyOps or maybe solitary but neither were options Alec would ever consider even if they were viable. Then there was Bo. When it came down to it, Alec couldn't expect the other females to keep covering Ember's turf, especially given the current situation.

He could hear the mobs from there, the people screaming abuse at the transgenics.

"All right. Rand, take her over to the Infirmary," Alec instructed. "We'll deal with her later." He looked over at the flame-haired transgenic who was gazing at him in sudden surprise. "Pick Bo up on the way. Stay with Jett. No questions, no trouble. Got it?"

"Got it," she said softly.

"Good." He turned his back on her, intending to speak to Brax.

"Alec."

He looked up again to find Ember's expression had softened.

"Thank you."

Alec shook his head.

"Don't thank me yet."

**Sector Five, 11:20pm**

Abby Barrett opened her eyes and blinked several times until her eyes finally focused on the clock beside her bed. Sunlight was streaming in the window.

_What time is it?_ she wondered. Her head felt fuzzy, like it was stuffed full of cotton wool.

"Good morning, Beautiful."

Abby jumped, startled, and flipped over onto her back. Danny was sitting on the edge of the bed, a glass of water in his hand. She brushed her hair away from her face, her green eyes wide with surprise.

"Afternoon?" she asked, more than a little confused. The last thing she remembered was gulping down the mug of coffee Danny had brought her late the night before. He'd insisted she drink it all down. She'd seen the news reports about the "transgenic attack" and she'd had every intention of going down to the nearest police station to straighten out the story.

She'd figured that Jess knew how to take care of herself, so she'd reluctantly done as Jess asked and gone back inside Crash. She'd waited anxiously beside the bar, her eyes fixed on the doors.

Then she'd heard the gunshot and chaos had erupted. People had started screaming and running towards the exits in panic. Abby had pushed her way through the crowd and finally flung open the back doors to find nine men lying broken and bleeding on the ground. Of Jess there was no sign.

Abby hadn't wasted any time getting out of there. She'd thought that the cops would assume the gang got what was coming to them and let it slide like they usually did. She'd run all the way back to her apartment, where Danny had been furious with her for taking off without a word. Her boyfriend had been a little stressed since she'd told him about the attempted mugging – which in hindsight had not been a bright idea.

The last thing she remembered was gulping down the coffee he'd brought her. She'd seen the news reports about the "transgenic attack" and she'd had every intention of going to the Police Station to straighten out the whole mess.

Danny had been adamantly against it. He'd never liked the transgenics. Picketing had been a favourite pastime of his for about a month after the Jam Pony siege.

"I don't remember going to bed," she said, feeling a little disoriented.

"You were pretty upset so I gave you something to help you sleep," Danny replied with a nonchalant shrug.

Abby's eyes narrowed.

"You gave me something," she repeated, her tone dead flat. "Why?"

"I told you –"

"You spiked my coffee?" Abby asked in outrage, dragging the sheet around her as she hopped off the bed and glared down at him.

"I just gave you a sleeping pill –"

"You…you…Ugh!" Abby couldn't think of an epithet vile enough and so she swept out of the room with Danny on her heels.

"Abby -"

"Shut up!" she snapped, switching on the television. When he would have spoken again, she waved him to silence with her hand and a furious look. His mouth opened and closed a few times but nothing came out. Abby turned her attention to the dark-haired reporter on the screen, standing outside Terminal City where the roar of hundreds of protesters could clearly be heard.

"_The manhunt ended with several casualties on both fronts. At least one police officer was killed and several transgenics have been hospitalized with severe injuries_. _It's unclear whether the fugitive was responsible for these injuries or whether the transgenics turned on the police and allowed the rogue to escape_…"

Abby stared at the image in horror as the camera panned over a series of burning Xs.

"I'm going down there," she said firmly.

**Sector Nine Police Station, 12:19pm**

Once upon a time, someone very wise had said that the best place to hide was the last place anyone would ever expect.

Jess had taken the adage to heart and at that very moment she was crawling through the old air-conditioning ducts in the Sector Nine Police Station. Making the best of a bad situation after dragging herself out of the sewers, she'd stumbled around in the darkness, searching for an easy way through the fence. She'd been on the verge of just trying to climb the damn thing despite her wounded shoulder. Then she'd spotted a DAC unit approaching on a motorcycle that looked much too small for him.

An unusual sight, to say the least.

When he'd knocked out all the cops on watch and decided to get his gun off, Jess had taken advantage of the distraction. She'd been able to creep through the gate instead, unnoticed. She'd heard shouting inside and hadn't wasted time taking a peek. She'd been in the basement before it was over with no-one the wiser.

The good news was that no-one was going to search for a fugitive in a police station.

The bad news was that her hiding place limited her in many ways.

No weapons save her boot knife, no first aid supplies within reach. She didn't even have a goddamn cigarette lighter so she could cauterize her wound. Instead, she'd used the knife to tear strips from the bottom of her shirt and make a rough bandage.

She looked and felt utterly miserable. Her hair and skin was sticky from the drying blood. Her clothes, or what was left of them, were a damp and tattered mess. She'd spent the last few hours trying to get some badly-needed rest and scrounging for anything that could be useful.

Finally she'd decided to search for the only thing that might actually help her out of this mess – useful information.

So there she was, crawling through the ducts which were filthy from long disuse. She had to be careful not to jar her shoulder too much and keep noise to a minimum. Every ten feet or so she came to a vent, covered by dusty wire mesh. The entire system had obviously been gutted a long time ago and patched up to keep rodents out. Her sodden jeans rubbed uncomfortably against her skin and she grimaced.

_I can take out ten men with my eyes closed but I can't avoid chafing. God, that sucks_.

Eventually she came to the main floor of the station and she let her senses take over, picking out the individual conversations and deciding whether they would yield viable intelligence. She was following six or seven by the time she'd canvassed the entire room, using her multi-tasking and parallel-processing abilities with the ease of long practice. After several minutes, Jess was thoroughly disgusted by the inept methods of the Seattle PD.

Only one yielded anything of interest.

"Logan, I know where you're coming from but my hands are tied. Terminal City is going to have to fend for itself until we've caught the fugitive. Our resources can't stretch any further."

"The transgenics are being punished for the actions of one rogue. You can't justify that."

Her sharp eyes came to rest on someone she recognized – a cop she'd seen on television. Ramon Clemente. Beside him was a man who appeared to be in his early thirties. He had to be about six foot two. He was handsome in a scruffy, bespectacled kind of way. Yet it wasn't his face that held Jess's riveted attention.

It was his voice.

It was familiar. The inflections, the tone…

_Where have I heard you before…?_ Her mind turned it over carefully, running through the possibilities. He was too old to be an X5 and too normal-looking to be one of the earlier series. He had to be an ordinary.

An ordinary who was arguing in the transgenics' favour - quite passionately, actually. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she listened to their conversation.

"Terminal City's being mobbed, Detective," he insisted. "You have to do something."

"I don't have the men, Logan," Clemente replied. "I didn't have the men _before_ our abortive little outing in Sector Five and now I'm even more short-staffed. Every available officer I could find is already working crowd-control for your people or guarding the Seattle perimeter. Don't push it any further."

Then the door swung open and an exotic young woman strode into the room. Several cops reached for their weapons only to have Clemente bark a reprimand.

"Where's the fire?" she asked, straightening her jacket quickly. "You know parking here's a bitch."

_What the hell…?_ Jess thought as she 'zoomed in' on the newcomer. She had long raven hair, warm bronzed skin and a beautiful face that Jess hadn't seen since Division Twelve had taken her away.

_Sam?_

"Max," Clemente greeted her with a quick nod.

Then it clicked.

The 09er.

45_2_.

"Have you cleaned out that apartment yet?" Clemente asked.

"The X6s are handling it," Max replied. Jess tensed, her temper rising.

_Calm down, Jess_, she thought, taking a deep breath. _It's only everything you own_.

"Anything useful?" Clemente prompted.

"Not yet. We're working on it. Anything from your end?"

"No bodies in Lake Washington, so we're assuming she's still in Seattle," Clemente informed her.

_Understatement_, Jess thought wryly. _I'm five feet away from you_.

"Hey, Detective!" One of Clemente's men called out to him and he quickly excused himself from Max and Logan.

"What do you think?" Logan asked quietly.

"She can't hide forever," Max said grimly.

"You did a pretty good job for ten years," Logan pointed out.

"Not good enough, apparently," Max replied. "Lydecker still managed to corner me a couple of times."

"We're not going to get anything done as long as Terminal City's surrounded," Logan mused. "I'm going to do another hack when I get back, try to get the people to listen to your side of the story."

"Thanks," Max told him. Logan smiled at her and Max's eyes warmed as they rested on him. Their expressions and body language were a dead giveaway. They cared about each other… more than was wise.

Familiar voice and speech patterns. Hacking. Fighting for the transgenics.

The picture was suddenly falling into place.

Eyes Only.

_Well, well…_ A sly smile slowly curved Jess's mouth. _Isn't this interesting_…


	19. Cat and Mouse

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N: **Thanks for all the encouraging reviews, guys! This story is taking on a life of its own. It's so much more complicated than I first envisioned.

**_Lakergirl08_** – Jess didn't go to TC because she saw the fences, the cops on watch and the general prejudice and decided she didn't want to be caged again. Can you blame her? And you're right – she is a lot like Alec. BTW, he _does_ remember her but he doesn't know she survived. It's complicated.

**_Candy _**– Whoa. Okay, "victim" wasn't the right word. Max continually judges him on who he _was_ instead of who he _is_. Her past isn't exactly rosy either but you don't see Alec continually throwing that in her face. I'm not trying to make Max a villain but I do think she needs to grow up a bit. They all need to move forward.

**_Kim _**– Yeah, Jess is at that self-centred survival stage. Though to be fair, she had both the cops and her own kind coming at her from all sides. Not exactly a trust-building exercise. She's not all bad – just getting desperate.

**_X5898_** – glad you're enjoying the story. I hope you keep reading. I'm just getting to the really meaty stuff.

**_Alana84_** – Jess's real strength was always her mind, her ability to outthink the enemy. Stay tuned for more!

**_Angel Of Darkness231 –_** Glad you like Jess and Alec. Hope you like this chapter.

**_Darkangelgirl –_** don't worry, Abby'll get there. As for Max, she's in a bit of a black-and-white space. Alec sees the grey areas. Enjoy!

**_Calistra_** – I was hoping everyone would understand Alec's dilemma. Cain had to go for safety's sake. As for Logan and Max, Eyes Only doesn't make it half obvious!

**Chapter 19: Cat and Mouse**

**Sector Nine Police Station, 12:23pm**

Jess watched and listened as 452, Eyes Only and Detective Clemente continued to plot her capture.

Clemente had presented the same map they'd used during the sweep and indicated the Seattle perimeter.

"The Sector checkpoints are being guarded as usual but the rest of the available forces have been deployed along the fence. They're all ordered to check in every ten minutes and anyone matching the description will be reported. The entire city's on lockdown."

Jess's blue-green eyes slid over to Logan once again.

Jess blinked hard and shook herself slightly, trying to dispel the slightly hazy sensation in her head. The movement was small but it was still enough to make the duct creak slightly.

Max looked up over her shoulder and Jess stilled again. Even her breathing paused.

"Max?" Logan reclaimed the exotic transgenic's attention and Jess relaxed again. They all bent over the map once more. Then Max's pager went off and with an irritated huff she quickly checked the number.

"Mind if I use your phone?" she asked. Clemente nodded and waved her towards the nearest one.

Jess listened carefully as Max punched in the number, committing it to memory and concentrating on the conversation.

"Hey, Dix, what's up?" Max asked.

"_We need you to get back here. Alec's hit his limit_," Dix told her, concern colouring his tone.

"How bad?" Max asked immediately.

"_Cain's dead_," Dix told her.

"What? Did Alec -?" Max asked in sudden consternation.

"_No, no!_ _Cain and his boys attacked Jett, put him in the infirmary again_."

"So how do we jump from Jett being attacked to Cain being dead?" Max asked curtly.

"_Cain and his boys got a hold of Jett, put him back in the Infirmary. Ember took him out._"

"I'll be right there," Max told him, replacing the receiver without further ado.

"I've gotta get back to TC," Max announced when she got back to the table. "We've got some internal issues."

"We'll continue this later," Clemente told her. "You've got my number." Max merely nodded.

"Where's your Ninja?" Logan asked.

"Around back," Max replied. "I wasn't game to leave it out front with Bessie in case Clemente's boys got any bright ideas."

_Bessie?_ Jess thought disparagingly. _How original_.

"I think we both know no-one's gonna rip that car off. It's been shot up too many times," Logan joked.

"So you're not gonna drive me?"

"I'll walk you," Logan offered. Her smile was answer enough.

_Perfect,_ Jess thought. As Max and Logan headed towards the door, Jess began crawling awkwardly back through the ducts towards her nearest exit. With the way Logan was looking at Max, she figured she had more than enough time to do what she had to do without getting caught.

She eased herself out of the duct and into the old basement, landing without her trademark grace. Only then did she look down at herself and wrinkle her nose.

Damp clothes in a dusty, mouldy duct.

_Great. Let's add grey sludge to the blood and sewerage stains._

She walked over to the far side of the room where old, broken windows lined the top of the wall. She began pulling away the remaining glass shards until she had enough room to get through. Placing both hands on top of the brick wall, Jess braced herself and jumped up, leaning forward to crawl through the narrow frame. Pain exploded through her shoulder and she clenched her teeth as her belly rubbed against the broken glass. With a hiss, she managed to pull herself through into the mud.

She got awkwardly to her feet and pulled up her shirt. Her stomach was laced with cuts and more than a few glass splinters. She swiftly picked them out with her good hand as shooting pain lanced from her left shoulder down to her elbow. Grimacing, she pressed her hand against her wound and bit her lip.

The dizziness wouldn't go away. She'd lost too much blood.

_Focus, _she chastised herself sternly. With her entire front covered in mud and sludge, she skirted the building, moving through the drizzle and came to the makeshift parking lot.

She zoomed in on and examined each vehicle, bypassing the marked police cars until she saw a beaten-up van with a couple of bullet holes along the side.

_Hello Bessie._

Concealed by the depressing weather, Jess moved slowly into the open and began negotiating her way towards the car. The cops guarding the fence were all watching the area outside the station limits, their rifles poised should anyone try anything stupid. They didn't see the filthy young woman kneeling behind Logan's car.

She heard the roar of a motorcycle and watched, unseen, as Max rode out of the gate without a backward glance. Jess drew out her boot knife and inserted the tip into the lock, jiggling the old mechanism expertly until the trunk popped open. Catching it with her good arm, she slipped inside and closed it as quietly as possible. Light streamed in through the holey metal and Jess's lips twitched.

_At least air won't be an issue_.

A minute or so later she felt the car jostle slightly as her objective got into the driver's seat.

Putting her eye to the nearest hole, she watched her surroundings as the 'untraceable' Eyes Only unwittingly chauffeured her to his home.

**Terminal City, Alec's Apartment, 12:54pm**

Alec stood in the shower with his hands braced against the wall and his head bowed, letting the hot water stream over his barcode and down his back.

He'd spent the first few minutes scrubbing away the stench of blood. Gem's blood… and Jett's. He knew, intellectually, that he was clean but the smell still lingered. He closed his eyes for a long moment.

_How did everything get so messed up?_

He wanted to scream.

He was sick of it. Sick of watching his people fight and die. Sick of seeing his friends get hurt. Biggs had been lynched. Gem was fighting for her life and Jett had been savaged by one of his own.

After Max had burned Manticore to the ground, he'd thought he was free. He could do what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it. Sadly, nothing was ever that simple. Max had dragged him, kicking and screaming, into her crusade to free the transgenic race and now her cause had become his.

She'd made him care. Sometimes he wished she hadn't. It had been a lot easier not to.

With a flare of anger, Alec balled up his fist and slammed it into the tiles.

Walking up the corridor to Alec's door, Max was trying to figure out the best way to approach him about Ember. She didn't want to fight with him again.

_Don't yell, Max_, she told herself sternly. _It's not his fault. I hope._

The sound of something smashing repeatedly made her look up in alarm and break into a run. She raced into his apartment, flung aside the door to the steam-filled bathroom and skidded to an abrupt halt. Both she and Alec froze.

_Oh God_.

Alec was staring at her, clearly startled by her arrival. Max's eyes slid along the length of him before she could stop herself.

The moment she realized what she was doing, her gaze snapped back up to his face as colour flooded hers. Every rational thought fled, leaving only her purpose for coming and no filter between her head and her mouth. She just blurted it out.

"Did you let Ember go after Cain?"

Dead silence.

Under any other circumstances, Max would have laughed at the look on Alec's face.

He was absolutely stupefied.

There he was, standing in his shower with his fist buried in the wall - completely naked with hot water cascading over him - and Max was staring at him with eyes as wide as saucers, asking if he'd let Ember off the leash.

The word surreal didn't even begin to cover it.

"Tell me that that was a _really_ bad joke," he said, his tone carefully controlled.

Max opened her mouth but nothing came out.

"Max. Please leave my bathroom," Alec said, his voice deceptively calm.

She didn't need to be told twice. She all but ran out of there, slamming the door behind her. For a long moment Alec just stood there, processing what had happened. Then he pulled his arm out of the hole he'd made in the tiled wall and flexed his fingers.

_Shit shit shit…_ Max paced the main room of Alec's apartment, eyes wide as she tried to wipe what she'd just seen from her mind. With transgenic memory being what it was, she knew it was a hopeless case. She had to admit that Manticore had known what it was doing when they'd created X5-494. He was nothing if not beautiful…

_Think about Logan! Blue eyes, cute glasses_… _sleek muscles, wet skin_…

_Stop it!_

She'd never been so grateful to hear a phone ring. She followed the sound and pulled Alec's cell out of his jacket, which was slung over the back of a chair.

"Alec's phone," Max said as she answered, still strangely numb from the scene in the bathroom.

"_Max, is that you?_"

"Sketchy?"

"_Yeah, is Alec around?_"

"Uh, he's in the shower –"

"_You're with him?_"

"Umm…" Max hedged, trying to think up an excuse.

At that moment, Alec emerged from the bathroom in a pair of jeans and a fitted black t-shirt. Taking a moment to rub a towel through his hair, he held out his hand and Max wordlessly passed him his phone.

"Sketch? What's up?" He tossed the towel aside and began idly pacing the room. He didn't even glance at Max, who couldn't seem to decide whether she preferred looking at the wall or the floor.

"_Hey, man. I know it's not a great time but I've got those photos you wanted_," Sketchy said sheepishly.

It took a moment for Alec to remember what Sketchy was talking about.

"Oh, right, the double prints from the party," he said, feeling a swell of gratitude towards his friend. The party seemed so long ago but it had only been a few days. "How'd they turn out?"

He raked a hand through his damp hair so that it spiked up. He didn't see Max's lips quirk at the unconscious, yet thoroughly adorable, gesture before she quickly returned her attention to the other side of the room.

"_Great, dude_," Sketchy enthused. "_The boss wants to run a couple of them if that's okay_."

"Good press is always okay, Sketch," Alec assured him with a smile.

"_Yeah, the boss loves printing the opposite of everyone else_," Sketchy replied. Alec could hear the amusement in his voice. "_You could say we're a unique creature unlike any other_."

Alec couldn't help chuckling and for a moment he could feel the weight lift off his shoulders. If nothing else, Sketchy was always good for a laugh.

"So you _did_ steal my line," Alec observed, grinning.

"_Yeah, it works great, man_," Sketchy replied happily. "_Bad day?_"

"You have no idea," Alec told him with a sigh. "Where are you?"

"_Jam Pony_," Sketch replied ruefully. "_Doin' time before I give the pics to the man_. _Could you drop by? Normal's got me on dispatch duty_."

"Did you spike his Mylanta again?"

"_Cindy came in and told us what happened to Gem_," Sketchy replied. "_He took off for Harbour Lights_."

"All right, I'll be there soon," Alec replied.

"_Good, cos there are a couple of pictures I think you really oughta see. Later_." Sketchy hung up quickly.

Alec slipped the phone into his pocket and turned to face Max, who looked very much like a deer in headlights. He waited, watching her expectantly. After several moments of excruciating silence, Max cleared her throat softly and looked up at his unreadable expression.

"Uh… that wasn't how I planned to ask you about Ember," she told him awkwardly. "I – I heard the smash –"

"And decided I needed rescuing," he finished for her, a hint of a smirk curving his mouth. "In my shower."

He was laughing at her. If she hadn't just busted in on him naked, she'd have welcomed the familiar sparkle in his eyes. She took a deep breath and decided to get down to business so she could get out of there as quickly as possible.

"Ember _murdered_ Cain and you let her go," Max reasoned. "What kind of example is that?"

"I didn't _let her_ do anything. Rand's with her and she's with Jett. She's not going anywhere."

"You can't know that," she insisted.

"She's not going to leave Jett. Period."

"So what, this is your idea of bail?" Max asked sarcastically.

"Max, we don't have anything in place to deal with something like this," Alec explained patiently. "Cain was sick on a level I don't want to think about. He would have done it again."

"We would have helped him," she persisted.

"How?" Alec asked simply. "Twenty years of Manticore twisted him. You think you could have worked out the kinks with a little TLC?" He shook his head in frustration. "Max, you should know better than anyone that some people just can't be helped."

He didn't have to elaborate. They both knew who he was talking about.

Ben.

"That's no excuse for killing him," Max said tensely.

"You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?" Alec asked softly. He clenched his teeth and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I want you to do something for me," he said finally. Max frowned and he raised a hand to forestall a protest. "I want you to go to the Infirmary and see what they did to Jett. Then tell me Cain didn't deserve it."

He picked up his jacket and his keys and headed towards his door – again.

"Where are you going?" Max demanded.

"To see a friendly face," he replied, looking her squarely in the eyes. "Right now, you don't qualify."

**Sandeman's House, 12:54pm**

Jess crept silently into the back door of the weather-beaten house, cursing her rotten luck. It had taken more effort than she wanted to think about to get out of the boot of Logan's car. She'd sat up and her head had started spinning again. It had taken a minute or two before she felt steady enough to actually get out of the car.

She listened carefully for her quarry. She found him within moments and peered around the door. She almost smiled when she saw what he was doing.

He was putting the finishing touches on an elaborate technical set-up.

_What is that noise?_ she wondered, hearing the soft whirring sound that seemed to emanate from the lower half of his body. He sat down in front of the camera and took off his glasses.

_No way does the Clark Kent thing actually work_, she thought scornfully.

Jess hunkered down directly behind him, blocked from the camera's view. Logan switched it on, adjusted it a little, and began recording.

"Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a Streaming Freedom Video Bulletin. This cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced. It cannot be stopped and it is the only free voice left in this city."

"You wanna bet?"

The blow to the head caught him completely off-guard. Logan slid off the chair and onto the floor. She crouched beside him and shook her head in disgust.

"Chump."


	20. Doubles

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**To All – **I just had to give everyone some mind's eye candy, hence the shower scene. I'm glad you all liked it.

**Nina26 –** I'm not a big Logan fan either! He's so dull. Hope you like this chapter.

**X5898 –** Yes, Max has been a bit of a hindrance, hasn't she? To be fair though, she's trying to keep transgenic/ordinary relations from getting out of hand. And Alec's day's far from over.

**Angel of Darkness231 –** Sadly, I won't be killing Logan. That'd be way too easy. Besides, Jess is a little more creative than that… : P

**Lakergirl08 –** You'll just have to wait and see with Alec and Jess but you'll learn more about her in this chapter.

**Darkangelgirl –** To be fair to Max, she intended to be diplomatic with Alec up until she got an eyeful. Lucky girl.

**Alana84 –** Ask and ye shall receive. More Jess action. Enjoy!

**Lex2u –** Glad you're liking the story. Keep reading as more is revealed.

**Candy –** I'm gonna stick with 'whoa'. Though I was talking about past mistakes that _don't_ involve Logan – he's definitely still they're main sticking point. They were getting along great until Logan interfered where he shouldn't have.

**EnIgMa **– It's a great visual, isn't it? I had fun writing it too. She rushed to the rescue and got more than she bargained for.

**Kim –** Max and Alec still have a way to go but they'll get there. Current events are _not _helping.

**Rita –** Alec and Jess seem to be quite popular! They'll find each other soon…

**Chapter 20: Doubles**

**Terminal City Infirmary, 1:16pm**

"Hey, Big Fella," Max greeted Joshua, who was standing guard in the hallway.

"Hey, Little Fella," he replied, wrapping his arms around her as she hugged him tightly. "Here to see Jett?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "How bad is it?"

"Bad," Joshua said simply. "Too much blood. Ember very upset."

"Are you okay?" Max asked gently, looking up at her canine friend's sad face. He nodded quickly.

"Joshua fine. Worried about Jett," he told her. "Medium Fella says Jett tough."

"He's right," Max assured him. "We've just gotta give him some time."

"Okay, Little Fella," Joshua agreed. "Go."

"Okay," Max said, affectionately rubbing Joshua's arm. He pointed her in the right direction and she quickly made her way through the infirmary.

Rand was leaning against the wall outside Jett's room, his arms folded across his chest. He looked up when he heard her coming.

"Have you got everything covered?" she asked. He nodded.

"Alec wanted us to pick up Bo but Kestrel was happy to take him home with Eve and Cleo," Rand informed her. "She said the infirmary's no place for a perfectly healthy child."

"Sounds like Kestrel," Max said with a ghost of a smile and Rand nodded, rolling his eyes.

"It's probably better that way," Rand agreed. Then his expression became more serious as he met Max's gaze. "Don't be too hard on Ember," he suggested. "Put yourself in her place."

Max didn't respond but he could tell from the look on her face that she'd taken it on board. He stepped aside and Max walked through the door.

Ember was sitting at Jett's side, holding one of his hands in hers.

"Ember?" Max spoke softly, unsure whether the redhead knew she was there. Ember looked up, her dark blue eyes red-rimmed. She'd been crying. Looking at the extent of Jett's injuries, Max could understand why.

His entire torso was swathed in bandages. His once-handsome face was a swollen, ruined mess of stitches and iodine. His legs were both in solid splints. Max raised her hand to her mouth. She'd had no idea how bad the damage actually was. Dix had only given her a fraction of the real picture. Suddenly she couldn't muster any sympathy for Cain, no matter how sick he'd been.

"Is he awake?" Max asked, hoping the answer would be negative. "Can he feel anything?"

"He's unconscious," Ember replied, sniffing quickly as she wiped away her tears. "He has been since we found him." She looked up at Max. "So come on. Get it over with."

"Get what over with?" Max asked carefully.

"You didn't come here because you're worried about Jett," Ember said, her tone just short of accusing.

"Ember, you _killed_ him," Max said softly. "You can't just –"

"Just what?" Ember said, her tone suddenly sharp. "Cain came after Jett because he protected us. He thought Jett deserved this."

"Cain couldn't have been thinking straight," Max offered, knowing it sounded lame.

"So how long before I deserved it?" Ember asked, looking up at Max. "Or Alec? Or Logan?"

_Or me_, Max realized, her gaze fixed on the floor. Her mind's eye supplied the image of Logan lying where Jett was, his body ravaged by the biological weapon Manticore had cooked up especially for him.

They'd come after Logan and she'd retaliated, taking Manticore down from the inside. Extreme, yes, but necessary. Ember had simply done the same thing Max had – the same thing she'd gladly do again if anyone threatened the man she loved.

"I'm sorry," Max whispered.

Ember nodded and reached up to gently stroke Jett's hair away from his face.

"I'm not."

**Jam Pony, 1:29pm**

Alec strolled into Jam Pony and ran a hand through his rain-soaked hair. It was typical that as soon as he managed to have a shower and dry off, he had to go straight back out into the miserable weather. Usually he loved riding his Bandit but it had its drawbacks. Water dripped onto the floor as he was greeted warmly by several old friends.

He could feel his spirits lifting, their friendly comments doing more for his mood than anything had since the heist. He spotted Sketchy in Normal's little alcove, the headset firmly in place. He looked a little frazzled as he passed packages to the various employees, urging them to do their jobs. Alec swaggered over to the desk and with a few well-chosen words sent the recalcitrant messengers on their collective way.

"Bad day?" he asked, echoing Sketchy's earlier question to him.

"Man, you have no idea how glad I am to see you," Sketchy told him with a relieved smile. "They're walkin' all over me."

"You just gotta have the touch, Sketch," Alec told him with a cocky grin.

"I'm drowning here. I really don't want to bip anyone."

"To bip or not to bip. It's a tough one," Alec said, nodding sagely.

"Alec," Cindy greeted him. He smiled as the dark-skinned 'sistah' walked over with her hair pulled back into a pair of puff-ball pigtails.

"Hey, Cindy, what's up?" he asked amiably.

"Just stayin' strong in the struggle, hot boy," she replied. Alec chuckled. He'd overheard her calling him that about two months ago while she was talking to Max. When Cindy had realized he knew about her nickname for him, she'd started saying it to his face.

_Not that your ego needs boostin'_, she'd told him at the time. Alec had always appreciated her honesty. She gave it to him straight and it was a refreshing change.

"Any news on Gem?" Cindy asked, concern flooding her tone.

"Doctor Woods says she should be okay. Surgery was a success and we replaced the blood she lost. Now it's up to her," he told her. "I wouldn't worry though. There's no way Mole would ever let her go without a fight."

"Hell no," Cindy agreed. "How 'bout Evie?"

"She's with Kestrel. It's all good."

"You're here 'bout the photos?" Cindy asked, beaming. "Sketchy's been showin' 'em off. We need to get a couple of those sweet things framed."

Taking that as his cue, Sketchy produced the pile of photographs from the party. He spent several minutes going through them, breaking into smiles when he got to the ones of Gem and Mole and outright laughter when he saw the snaps of Joshua and Max dancing. It was easily one of the sweetest, funniest pictures he'd ever seen.

"Hey, Cindy, could you make a run to Sector Twelve for me?" Sketchy asked as Alec got to the last couple of pictures. "I'm desperate, please."

"It's rainin'," Cindy protested, a hand on her hip as she stared him down.

"Cindy, please," Sketchy implored. In the end it was Alec's comical, puppy-dog pout that softened her.

"Aiight," Cindy finally agreed, taking the package from him with a tolerant smile. "Just promise me you ain't gonna bip nobody."

"Promise," Sketchy said without hesitation. With a satisfied nod, Cindy made her way towards her bicycle. Both men watched her leave and then Sketchy reached under the desk to pull out an envelope slight smaller than a file folder. He reached inside and carefully pulled out the reason he'd gotten Alec to come around in the first place.

"I was wondering if you knew her," Sketchy said, handing him a group of photos.

Alec looked down at them and his eyes widened in shock.

Her hair was long, much longer than the last time he'd seen her, its naturally creamy colour streaked with… purple? He knew that if he could have looked closer, her eyes would have been a striking blue-green. He'd never seen her in anything except fatigues and standard issue shirts so it was strange to see her in a revealing red halter and low-slung dress pants. Oddly, the punk-rock look suited her.

_Jessie_.

The name ricocheted through his head like a gunshot.

"Sketchy, when did you take this?" Alec asked, his voice sounding strangely strained as he flipped through the four photographs, burning them into his memory.

"Two nights ago," Sketchy replied, regarding his friend uneasily. "Dude, are you okay?" Alec looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, his gaze straying back to the pictures.

"I was right. You know her, don't you?" Sketchy asked, grinning triumphantly. Alec nodded.

"Can you keep this quiet for me?" he asked.

"You got it," Sketch replied. "The negatives are in the envelope. They're the only copies."

Pleased by his friend's uncharacteristic foresight, Alec flashed him a grin.

"Sketch, when this is over, the drinks are on me," he said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"All night?"

"All night but I've gotta go now, pal," Alec told him.

"Kinda figured. Good luck."

With that, Sketchy went back to handing out packages and Alec headed towards the door, his mind in turmoil.

_Inactive, my ass, _he thought as he swung his leg over his motorcycle._ God, this is so, so, so bad…_

**Unknown Location, 1:29pm**

"Good morning, Sunshine."

The smooth, feminine voice roused Eyes Only from unconsciousness. Logan's head was pounding as he slowly opened his eyes, uncomfortably aware that he was having trouble getting his body to respond to his brain's commands. He couldn't move and on his lap, frighteningly close to his groin, was a small black box with a small red flashing light and a couple of wires on the side. A piece of string ran from the box to a metal pipe about a foot above his head.

Belatedly he realized that his wrists and ankles were bound and he could see the old jumper leads she'd used to secure him to the chair he was sitting in. They were so tight they constricted his breathing.

_So I can't shout for help_, he thought bitterly.

Then he looked up at his captor, sitting calmly across from him, and blinked. She wasn't at all what he expected.

_Then again, what was I expecting?_

She was a mess. She was covered in mud and blood, her pale hair stringy and filthy. Her black jeans were torn and she was curiously barefoot. A makeshift dressing covered her left shoulder, the material clearly torn from the bottom of her battered black tank top.

_So Tucker was right. He_ did _wound her_.

Yet despite her physical condition, her piercing blue-green eyes were fixed firmly on his face. They gave nothing away and a chill snaked down Logan's spine. Zack had always looked at him like that – coldly, like he knew exactly how to dispose of the body if the necessity arose.

She held a seven-inch blade in her hand, twirling it absently. She didn't even glance at it. She handled it as if the knife were simply an extension of her own body, something as natural to her as breathing.

Which, to be completely honest, it probably was.

He looked down at the black box on his lap again and swallowed hard.

"What is it?" he asked, though in his gut he already knew the truth.

"It's an anti-personnel mine. Cute, isn't it? Home-made, you know, my own special recipe," she said sweetly. "I wouldn't recommend moving around too much, though. That tripwire's a bit sensitive."

She gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"You'd be amazed what you can scrounge around the house," she told him. "A bit of this, a bit of that… That computer set-up of yours is a goldmine. It donated most of the wiring." She regarded him critically. "You know, I thought Eyes Only would be a little more intimidating."

He was staring at her with a considerable amount of apprehension.

"So," she continued, "the rules are simple. Don't move and you won't die. Got it?"

"Got it," Logan replied, keeping his tone as neutral as possible. "You're the one who took down the Vipers?"

"Wow," she said blandly. "Your powers of deduction astound me. That girl needs serious help if you're the best she could do."

"Girl?" Logan decided to play dumb.

"Exotic little thing by the name of Max," she said, not buying his innocent act for a moment. "She's why you're here."

"How does that work?" Logan said, looking puzzled.

"Body language, Einstein. For some unfathomable reason, she's into you. That makes you my golden ticket. Catching on yet?"

"Who are you?" Logan asked, switching into intelligence-gathering-mode.

She actually smiled at the question.

"You wanna play twenty questions? I'll bite. You're not going anywhere," she said with a tiny shrug that made her wince slightly as her shoulder protested the movement. "You can call me 767."

"767?" Logan repeated, his brow furrowing as he made the connection. "You're a twin."

"Most of the X5 series was twinned, genius," she told him with a roll of her eyes.

"You're X5R," Logan surmised. "Arizona Platoon. You worked for Stendahl."

"Hmm. Maybe you're not a dim as I thought you were," she conceded, leaning forward in her chair and placing the tip of the blade under his chin. She exerted some pressure, forcing him to lift his head. "That firewall in your database wasn't half bad either. It made for some interesting reading - particularly the part where I'm listed as '_inactive_'.

_Oh God. No wonder we couldn't figure out who she is_.

"Not that I'm surprised. Renfro wouldn't have wanted anyone to be able to track my movements on my last little excursion," she continued. "Deleting Committee members can be such a sticky business."

Her lips curved up slightly and she sat back again, still playing idly with the knife. Logan let out the breath he'd been holding, devoutly thankful that the weapon was no longer anywhere near his throat.

"So come on. Tell me more about me," she prompted him. "I must be the talk of the transgenic water-cooler right now."

"Your twin's name was Eva," Logan stated. Her playful demeanour evaporated.

"My late and not-at-all-lamented clone," she deadpanned. "Hold your breath while I shed a tear."

She got to her feet and walked over to a plain wooden table a few feet away. Beside it he could see his exoskeleton – or what was left of it. She'd reduced it to scrap metal. Only then did Logan register that he was in his boxers and his shirt. His pants were lying beside the table as well. She put down the knife, picked up Logan's cell phone and punched in a number.

"_Dix here_."

"I want to talk to Max."


	21. Control

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N: **Sadly, guys, this is a short one 'cause I had a serious case of writers block. No matter what I wrote, this just wouldn't come out the way I wanted it to. As for everyone's comments on Jess – I think she's the kind of character you either love or hate. Glad you all like the twist about Jess being Eva's clone – there's more to come and you learn more about her in this chapter.

**Lyndsay** – thanks for the encouraging review and I hope you stick around. Enjoy!

**lakergirl08** – sparks are definitely gonna fly around here somewhere. This chapter is kind of a stepping stone.

**X5898 –** Yes, Alec considers Jess to be dangerous because he knows how she operates. Max/Alec is going to get even more interesting as Jess raises the stakes.

**Nina430** – Hope you stay with us to see how things unfold. : ) Jess is far from finished.

**lex2u** – The shower scene was badly-needed comic relief and it will get dealt with, but probably not the way everyone wants it to.

**Sakura** – I'm glad you like the characters. They're all originals and I agree that Jess has gotten pretty nasty. The Max/Alec thing is a very slow burn.

**Angel of Darkness231** – More twists are coming. I've been dropping clues since Chapter 2.

**darkangelgirl** – Alec definitely knows Jess _very_ well. Max's platoon is proof that the members of a unit can become very close and remember that the twins have the same basic psychological makeup as their clones. Just remember that nothing here is as simple as it seems. As for Jett, you'll just have to wait and see.

**Rita** – Glad you like Jess. I wasn't sure how people would respond to someone who doesn't follow any discernable rules except the ones she makes herself. It'll be a little while before Alec and Jess come face-to-face and I hope it'll be worth the wait.

**Alana84** – Yep, Jess is Eva's clone. I always liked the twin storylines in DA and wanted to pursue that side of things.

**Chapter 21: Control**

**Terminal City Headquarters, 1:33pm**

"Max, there's a call for you," Dix announced as she walked into the tech room. "Line one."

"Thanks," Max told him. Her pager had gone off barely thirty seconds earlier, showing the main number for Headquarters. "Who is it?"

"It's coming from Logan's cell," Dix replied. "But the voice is female."

With a small frown, Max picked up the receiver and took the caller off hold.

"Hello?"

"_Hello Max_." The voice was smooth and feminine and Max thought it sounded vaguely familiar.

"Who is this?" Max asked, feeling slightly uneasy.

"_I thought it was about time we had a little chat_," the stranger continued. "_We both want something. You want to catch me and I want out of Seattle. Obviously those two goals don't mesh_."

"Where did you get this number?" Max demanded, tensing as she realised who she was talking to.

"_I think you should be more concerned about who's keeping me company_," the stranger informed her. "_You know, about six two, scruffy hair, glasses… a save-the-world-by-Tuesday complex. He'd be cute if he wasn't so old_."

"What have you done to him?" Max snapped.

"_So far? Nothing that'll cause any permanent damage_," she said breezily. "_I was never really into the whole hostage thing but desperate times…_"

"Get to the point," Max told her sharply.

"_Back off. Make sure the cops do the same_ _or your friend might find himself missing a vital organ or two_. _Once I'm at a minimum safe distance I'll tell you where your precious Eyes Only is_."

_How does she know that?_ Max thought in alarm.

"_I'm just full of fun facts today, aren't I_?" Logan's captor said smugly, as if she'd read Max's mind.

"How do I know you really have him?" Max asked, grasping at straws. She heard the phone being moved for a few moments.

"_Max_." Logan's voice had never been so welcome. "_I'm here_."

"Are you all right?"

"_That's all you get for now_," the female interjected. "_You've got two hours_."

The line cut out and the phone beeped several times before Max put the receiver down.

"Max, is everything okay?" Dix asked, seeing the look on her face.

"Our mystery guest is holding Logan hostage," Max said, her voice oddly toneless. "Call Brax and Rand. Get them in here and someone find Alec. Now."

**Unknown Location, 1:35pm**

"She won't do it," Logan warned his captor as she ended the call. "They won't let you go."

"I know," she said simply. Logan frowned in confusion as she pocketed the phone.

"Then why make the call?" he asked. "What could you possibly gain by keeping me here?"

She looked over at him and he could have sworn she was laughing at him. It was in her eyes.

"You, dear boy, are bait."

"Bait for what?" Logan asked in alarm.

"Everyone has something they want, need or fear," Jess explained with a small shrug. "If you understand how to use that, you can make anyone do anything."

"Anything?" Logan swallowed hard as Jess' blue-green eyes locked onto him.

"Anything."

**Terminal City Headquarters, 1:39pm**

Alec was speeding towards the first of two Sector checkpoints on his way to Terminal City, still reeling from what he'd just discovered.

_Jessie… She's alive. Why were the records wrong? Did Logan make a mistake or did someone falsify them? God, I can't believe I wrote her off. I should have known better._

The sound of his cell phone ringing forced him to pull over into the relative shelter of an alley, out of the constant downpour. Fishing it out of his jacket pocket, he flipped it open and held it to his ear.

"Alec."

"_Hey, pal. It's Brax_."

"Brax – good timing," Alec said. "The rogue is X5-767. Her name's Jess."

"_767? She's one of the Phoenix group?_"

"Yeah, Jess was in my unit until she was shipped off to Quantico in '17," Alec told him. "She was listed as inactive about a week before Manticore went down."

"_Alec, I've seen the files on that platoon. They read like a demon's resume_," Brax told him, concern colouring his tone.

"I know. Look, this could get messy fast."

"_I'm listening_."

"By design she's a standard X-series stealth but she excelled in the psychological side of things. She's the go-to girl for dismantling people from the inside out."

"_Dismantling people?_" Brax asked warily.

"Jess thinks strategically, not ethically. She manipulates people, moves them around like pieces on a chess board. A high percentage of her deep-cover targets either committed suicide or they were killed by someone Jess manoeuvred into it. If she gets creative, we're in serious trouble."

"_She kidnapped Logan_."

"Okay. That I didn't know," Alec replied with an inward groan. "Are you sure it was her?"

"_Unless the call Max got was a really bitchy prank_," Brax replied. "_Listen, Alec, if you're on your way back here, you might wanna turn around and take cover_."

"Why? What's the problem?"

"_Max is on the warpath. Logan got captured less than twelve hours after you threw him out of Terminal City. She's blaming you for leaving him vulnerable_."

"I can handle Max," Alec assured him, his tone a bit harder than he intended.

"_Maybe so but I'm already headed to HQ. I'll tell her about Jess; give her some time to simmer down a bit before you get here_."

"You don't want that kind of heat, Brax."

"_What's she gonna do? Mess up my face more than your kid sister did?_" Brax replied confidently. "_I've got your back, man_."

Alec smiled slightly at the sentiment. "Thanks, pal. Good luck."

"_It's all good, buddy. Just be careful on your way in_."

"Gotcha."

Brax hung up and Alec slipped the phone back into his jacket.

_Jessie,_ _please, back it down before this gets completely out of control_, Alec prayed silently as he started the motorcycle again.

**Unknown Location, 1:46pm**

Jess sat cross-legged in front of Logan's laptop, typing one-handed at a furious pace as she put the finishing touches on the program she needed.

To most people in present day America, the mass of code she was writing was nothing more than nonsensical symbols, numerals and letters. To Jess it was a language in its own right – one Manticore had drilled into her – but one she'd encrypted using a unique cypher.

She finally pressed the 'Enter' key and exhaled slowly, stretching her back sinuously, like a cat.

_Okay. Now let's play catch-up…_

With a few swift commands, she pulled up the Manticore database that Eyes Only had compiled. A lot of work had obviously gone into it – physical descriptions, barcode identification numbers, training and mission history. It was pretty impressive to own the truth.

She quickly found the file she was looking for. A couple of key-strikes and it opened up onto the screen, giving her access to the entire profile.

A slight smile lit her features as she gazed at the personnel photograph of a handsome young man with striking hazel eyes and dark blonde hair.

X5-494.

**Terminal City Limits, Sector Seven, 1:46pm**

The scene laid out before Abby looked like something out of a pre-Pulse war movie. She stood in the rain, watching in horror as the masses roared their protests, the screams and shouts of the people grating on her ears. They were waving signs and hurling curses. Sector cops paced along the fence, trying their best to hold back the outraged public, their rifles at the ready.

Flaming Xs had been erected and according to the few semi-reasonable people Abby had been able to get answers out of, they surrounded the entire twenty block "city".

All the while there was no sign of any transgenics. Yet Abby knew they were there, most likely armed to the teeth, watching the chaos below. They were trapped. They couldn't do anything to defend themselves – if they opened fire the people would retaliate.

Getting through the checkpoint had been a long, arduous task and now this. She'd spent an hour trying to find a way to contact someone – a guard, anyone. Terminal City was under siege by the very people who, a mere day before, had been slowly starting to accept its citizens.

_This is all because of me_, Abby thought angrily.

Turning on her heel, she stalked away from the anarchy, the weather a fine match for her mood.

_Next stop – that Detective I've seen on TV_.


	22. The Proverbial Straw

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it**.

**A/N:** You guys might want to re-read Chapter 8, depending on how good a memory you have for detail, before you read this just in case the twist doesn't make any sense. And thanks for all the brilliant reviews, keep 'em coming! I hope this chapter explains a lot about Alec and Jess. Enjoy!

**Chapter 22: The Proverbial Straw**

**Terminal City Headquarters, 2:15pm**

Alec strode into Headquarters, well aware that he was being stared at. No-one said a word to him and he knew that it was the calm before the storm. He also knew that he was a mess all over again. He was drenched. Max had interrupted his shower before he had a chance to shave so he had a five o'clock shadow, and a car had skidded and flung mud all over him just a block from the tunnels.

His mood, if it was possible, had gone even further south and now he was going into the lion's den.

The lion_ess_' den, to be more precise, and he didn't anticipate getting out unscathed. He looked around, saw Max spot him and fury cloud her liquid brown eyes. She stormed across the room towards him and Alec waited for the barrage to begin. He just wanted it over with.

_Three, two, one…_

Max's hand hit Alec's face so hard that he staggered, catching him by surprise.

"You bastard! You threw Logan out of Terminal City and now that bitch has him!"

"Whoa, hold it!" Brax interposed himself between the wound-up female and his friend.

Rubbing his cheek, Alec straightened and stepped out from behind Brax. He gazed down at Max, his hazel eyes unusually cold.

"I know you're upset about Logan right now so I'm gonna let that one go," he told her, his voice strangely calm. "But don't think you'll get away with it twice. Now let's go into your office."

Max, however, refused to budge and everyone in HQ was staring at them.

"You withheld vital information," she accused him. "You knew about Arizona Platoon."

"Everyone at Manticore after '09 knew about Arizona Platoon," Alec snapped angrily. "You wanna bust my chops because the file information was wrong? Grow up."

"She crossed the line," Max shot back.

"You're lookin' for revenge."

"She killed a cop."

"Convenient that you bring that up twelve hours after the fact," Alec observed coldly.

"Convenient that revenge is fine when someone _you_ care about is attacked," Max replied. Alec's expression became glacial.

"I'm not condoning what Jessie's doing," he informed her curtly, "but if you keep pushing her, she'll make your life a living hell."

"Why bother? You've done the job for her," Max accused him.

"You think she took Logan for kicks? Use your head, Max. If she has him, she has the database, the informant net, everything. She doesn't need us to make the cops back off. She can use Eyes Only."

"So we'll trace her when she does the hack. Either way, she's going down," Max told him grimly.

"You're not listening to me, Max," Alec snapped in frustration. "Things tend to implode when Jess gets involved and you think you've got this under control? What the hell are you smokin'?"

At that moment, a well-known red, white and blue banner appeared on every television screen in Headquarters.

"Aw, shit," Alec growled, throwing an exasperated look at the ceiling.

"_Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a Streaming Freedom Video Bulletin. This cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced. It cannot be stopped and it is the only free voice left in this city_."

"Trace it. Now," Max ordered.

"Way ahead of you," Dix replied as he and Luke bent to the task.

In the meantime, Alec backed up a few paces as alarm bells began ringing in his mind. He pulled out his phone and hit a speed dial, waiting impatiently for someone to pick up.

"Come on, come on…"

"… _the transgenics within Terminal City are now turning on their own kind, hunting them down without mercy or remorse. How long before they turn on the innocent citizens of_…"

After what seemed like an eternity, the phone was finally answered but almost thirty seconds had been wasted.

"_Jam Pony Xpress_."

"Sketch, look over at your television and tell me what you see."

"_Alec? What's going on?_"

"Sketch, just do it. Fast. Please."

There was a moment's pause as Sketchy granted Alec's unusual request.

"_What am I looking for, dude?_"

"Is an Eyes Only hack being broadcasted over there?"

"_Nope, just normal TV stuff. Why?_"

"Gotta go. Explain later. Bye." Alec snapped the phone shut. "Stop the trace!" he shouted.

Too late.

Every computer, security and television screen in Headquarters suddenly blanked and white noise filled the room. Every transgenic in the room flinched as the sound assailed their sensitive ears.

_Fuck_.

Alec felt his heart drop into his toes as everyone in the room froze in shock for a moment.

"What the hell happened?" Max demanded, breaking the eerie silence and prompting everyone to start trying to find the problem.

"The whole system just crashed," Luke called out. "Security cameras, computer systems, everything."

"Max, it must have been a trap. I called Jam Pony. We're the only ones who received that hack. She used our own trace to piggyback a virus into our system," Alec told her.

"That's it. She's going down," Max spat furiously.

"Back off, Kujo!" Alec shot back without thinking and his hand snapped out to grab Max's wrist, stopping it a mere inch from his face. "I warned you," he said coldly. Max wrenched her arm out of his grasp.

"Why the hell are you defending her if she's so dangerous?"

"Because we made her dangerous," Alec told her harshly. "We went after her and blocked all the exits. What did you expect her to do? Hand herself over and say 'Have a nice day'?"

"She could have come to us –"

"When?" Alec asked incredulously. "When we set up the dragnet? When we chased her into the sewers and confiscated everything she owns? Take off the goddamn blinders, Max. Logan isn't the only thing that matters here!"

"She's threatening to cut out some pretty vital pieces of Logan's body. Either get on board or get the hell out of my way," Max snarled. She moved to sweep past him but he grabbed her by the arm and refused to let go, his grip like a vice.

"I'm not gonna let you do this."

"You're gonna stop me?" Max challenged him, dark eyes blazing.

"Someone has to," Alec snapped. "She wasn't our enemy until we made her one."

"She attacked innocent people!" Max said heatedly.

"You're calling the Vipers innocent?" Alec asked in disbelief.

"She killed a cop and she abducted Logan!"

"So your answer is what? Kill her?" Alec raged. "She's not crazy, she's cornered. If that was one of the 09ers out there, you'd be risking everything to help her and you'd be dragging me along for the ride!"

"My family would never destroy what we spent three months building –" Max shouted.

"_Everybody, shut up!_" Brax roared angrily, startling everyone in HQ into silence. He pinned Max with his ferocious gaze. "Not another word. Alec, go to Joshua's. Max, your office."

"Brax –" Max began as Rand forced Alec to march in the opposite direction.

"Now!" he snapped, glaring at her with the authority of several years as a unit leader. When she would have dug her heels in, Brax grabbed her by the arm and dragged her inexorably towards her office.

"Let go of me, Brax," she warned him, struggling only to be surprised by the strength of his grip. He literally threw her into her office and slammed the door behind them. He turned back to face Max and she actually backed up a step, a little unsettled by the fury in his brown eyes.

"What the hell gives you the right?" he demanded, his voice dangerously soft. "That man has pushed himself to his limit while you were off making nice to the cops with your boyfriend. _He_ led the mission while you sat in OC's apartment. _He_ rescued Gem. _He_ had to deal with the attack on Jett. Name one decent contribution you've made in the last twenty-four hours besides looking pretty on the heist!"

Max sat in silence, fuming because she didn't have an answer and he knew it.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Brax said, folding his arms across his chest as he gazed at her in disgust. "You're Manticore, Max. You don't like it? Fine, but it keeps you and everyone else here alive. This isn't Alec's fault. Get over it and do your fuckin' job."

With that, Brax stalked out of her office and slammed the door behind him, leaving Max seething in his wake.

**Terminal City, Joshua's Apartment, 2:29pm**

Alec sat on Joshua's couch with his head in his hands, the dog-man and Rand sitting on either side of him.

"I've gotta find Jessie before Max does," he told them. "God, what the hell is she doing?"

"Max'll cool down. You know how she gets about Logan," Rand assured him, hoping to calm him.

"Not Max. I'm talking about Jessie."

"What do you mean?" Rand asked.

"It's completely irrational."

"Jess taking Logan?" Joshua asked.

"Not Jess. Max," Alec snapped impatiently, then seemed to realize what he'd said. He looked up at Joshua and sighed, raking his hands through his hair. "Sorry, Josh. I didn't mean it."

"I know," Joshua said simply. "Alec angry. Hurt."

"I just want to strangle her," he confessed.

"Jess or Max?" Rand asked, trying to keep up.

"Take your pick," Alec replied in defeat. "Do I strangle Max for being a bitch with tunnel vision or Jess for pulling a stunt that's gonna get me killed?"

"So pick one and I'll strangle the other," Rand offered. "Win-win."

Despite himself, Alec managed a half-smile at his friend's comment.

"Why do I do this to myself? Why do I take it?" Alec thought out loud, getting to his feet. He began pacing the room restlessly and gingerly touched the rapidly darkening bruise on his cheek.

"Because you're whipped?" Rand offered nonchalantly.

"I am _not_ whipped," Alec denied immediately.

"Okay, so you give as good as she does," Rand allowed. "But there's a pattern here, man. You've been her sounding board for so damn long you've gotten used to letting her treat you like that."

"But we agree I'm not whipped, right?" Alec asked, sounding a little offended.

"Agreed," Rand said, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"Medium Fella not whipped," Joshua intoned reassuringly.

"What are you gonna do?" Rand asked, bringing the subject back to the matter at hand.

"I don't even know where to start looking for Jessie," Alec confessed, his frustration boiling over once more. "How did she even get to Logan in the first place, or find out he's important to Max?"

"Well, don't ask me. You're X5R, you'd know better than I would," Rand replied. He looked up at his friend speculatively. "Listen, buddy, don't bite my head off but… you've definitely got more than a passing interest in keeping that girl alive. Any particular reason?"

"Seventeen years in the same platoon," Alec offered, hoping they'd drop the subject.

"No. More," Joshua observed. "Alec cares a lot."

"Spill, pal," Rand advised him.

"Promise not to laugh?" Alec hedged, rubbing the back of his neck to ease the tension.

"We promise," Joshua said calmly and Rand nodded.

"Back at Manticore we looked out for each other." He looked over at them uneasily. "Remember, you promised not to laugh."

"Joshua not laughing," the dog-man assured him.

"The rest of the platoon was always kinda distant, especially after '09. Jessie wasn't."

He didn't say any more about it, but Joshua and Rand didn't push him. They both understood what he meant.

For a long moment there was nothing but companionable silence.

Then a shrill ringing destroyed the moment.

"What!" Alec barked into the phone, his patience exhausted.

"_You sound as good as I feel_," a weary feminine voice advised him. Alec blinked, so stunned that it took him a couple of seconds to react.

"Uh… guys, I've gotta take this," he said quickly, striding out into the hallway. Rand and Joshua exchanged a puzzled look but let him go, leaning back on the couch to wait for him.

Alec closed the door behind him and moved a couple of feet down the corridor.

"Jessie?"

"_Hey, Reb. Or should I call you Alec now?_"


	23. House of Cards

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N: **Okay guys, I'd love to have Alec call Jess his sister but we all know he doesn't buy into that stuff. Hope that clears some things up. They've got a whole siblings/best friends thing going on. Jess is _not_ a threat to Max in the romance arena. Children, by their very natures, crave affection and acceptance. That's what Alec and Jess gave each other for seventeen years. As for Max-bashing, it's not meant that way. Three months of hard work has been destroyed, Mole went ballistic, her boyfriend's been kidnapped and several friends (Gem etc) are in bad shape. I'd be out for blood too.

This chapter's kind of short. Apologies.

**Chapter 23: House of Cards**

**Terminal City, Outside Joshua's Apartment, 2:31pm**

Alec forced himself to breath again as Jess' words sunk in. He'd been right – she must have the database.

"Alec's fine," he told her. "No-one's called me Reb in years."

"_Alec_…" She said it thoughtfully, as if she were tasting it. "_As in smart alec?_"

"Trust you to get it right first time." He found himself smiling in spite of all the trouble she'd caused.

"_It suits you_," she told him.

"Thanks," he replied, unashamedly relieved to hear her voice. "But you didn't call me just to catch up, did you?"

"_Come on, baby brother, that hurts. It really does_." He heard the teasing note in her voice but chose to ignore it.

"What the hell are you doin'?" he asked, a hint of pleading in his voice. "Kidnapping Logan? Are you insane?"

"_You know me better than that_," Jess replied. "_Your friend's fine. Everyone needs a good scare now and again_."

"Grabbing someone from behind in the dark is a scare," Alec argued. "Abduction goes way beyond."

"_As long as he behaves, he won't get hurt. Promise_," she informed him. Alec nodded even though she couldn't see it. In all the years he'd known her, Jess had never once failed to keep a promise. Not one she'd made to him, anyway.

He sighed. "You don't sound so good. Tucker said he wounded you. Are you all right?"

"_I'm not gonna win any beauty contests but apart from that I'm fine_."

"Liar. Where are you?" Alec asked.

"_Depends. Are you asking for you, or are you planning a party?_"

"Just me, Jessie."

"_Sector Three. The old Art Museum. One hour._"

"I'll be there."

"_Oh, and Alec?_"

"Yeah?"

"_Bring some first aid supplies_."

She hung up quickly and Alec stood there for a long moment, the potential consequences of what he was about to do running through his mind. If he couldn't pull it off, he was a dead man.

Mainly because if he didn't get himself killed, Max would finish the job, and he didn't even want to think about what would happen if Max got her hands on Jessie. If he was honest, he wasn't sure who'd win that fight. Jessie was injured but she had ten years of training on Max.

Max had told him once that he had serious gaps in his combative education, that Manticore hadn't taught their soldiers to fight dirty. She claimed that was how she beat him every time but Alec knew that his own gentlemanly tendencies in that arena were definitely not shared by Jess.

Jess always found a way to win. She'd been the only one who could beat Lane every single time she came up against him, just like Jett had always beaten Cain.

Alec took a deep breath and walked back into Joshua's apartment.

One look at Alec's face told Rand all he needed to know.

"That was Jess, wasn't it?" he asked softly. Alec nodded.

"I've gotta go see if I can fix this before it gets any worse," Alec explained. "If I can get her back here without any more trouble –"

"I know," Rand assured him. "Are you gonna tell Max?"

"I think you know how she'd play it," Alec said, shaking his head. "We've already tried using force and it didn't work. If we want Logan back in anything besides a garbage bag, I've gotta do this."

"I get it, buddy," Rand replied. "It's all good."

"I thought you'd try to talk me out of this," Alec told him, clearly surprised that Rand had acquiesced so easily.

"I pick my battles, Alec," Rand replied. "I wouldn't have won this one, no matter what I said. You're one stubborn son of a bitch when you want to be." He fished into his pocket and pulled out the keys to his motorcycle. He handed them to Alec. "The Bandit's too easy to spot," he explained.

"Thanks," Alec said gratefully, closing his fingers over the keys.

"Any time," Rand told him. "We'll keep Max off your back for as long as we can."

"Josh? Are you okay with this?" Alec asked, turning to his transhuman friend.

The dog-man got to his feet and clapped Alec on the shoulder. "Go find little sister," Joshua told him. "Save Logan. Little Fella understand."

"I dunno about that last part, pal," Alec hedged.

"Little Fella come around. She's angry about Logan, about Mole. The upstairs people attacking downstairs people, trying to hurt us. Like Biggs and CeCe."

That, more than anything, convinced Alec that Joshua was going to support him. As usual, Joshua had hit the nail right on the head. Regardless of how much of the mess was actually Jessie's fault, Joshua didn't want anyone else to die the way Biggs and CeCe had – victims of the very people they'd been created to defend.

"Thanks, Josh," Alec said, humbled by the dog-man's acceptance. Terminal City and everything they'd worked for was crashing down around their ears but Joshua was still willing to let Alec do what he had to do.

"Medium Fella fix it," Joshua said, his tone imbued with total faith in Alec's abilities.

"I'm sure as hell gonna try," Alec replied. With that and a quick nod to Rand, Alec walked out of the door.

**Terminal City Headquarters, 2:43pm**

Alec strode into the armoury where Jess' possessions had been stored at Max's command, a leather backpack slung across his shoulder. None of the X5, X6 or transhuman guards questioned his presence. They knew his contacts with several arms dealers had helped to gain most of the weapons in the first place. He'd already raided his personal stash of first-aid supplies and tryptophan. He took a second to look around the main room, his mind immediately taking inventory of everything he could see.

Books and several bags.

He picked up one of the books and idly flipped through a couple of pages.

_The Wizard of Oz. Huh_. He shook his head, a smirk flashing across his face. He wasn't surprised. Jessie's imagination had always been pretty wild. It was what made her so goddamn unpredictable.

Dropping the book back onto the pile, he moved towards the first bag. He pulled the zipper open and one eyebrow rose – weapons. With the amount of firepower Terminal City had acquired during and after the siege, poaching from Jess' collection had obviously been unnecessary so far.

He had to admit she had good taste. Two semi-automatic 9mm Beretta pistols, hollow-point ammunition, hand-held fragmentation grenades, several types of blades and… a compound bow? He spotted one weapon in particular that almost made him smile. A Gurkha Kukri. He lifted it out of the bag, taking a moment to admire all twelve inches of the forward-curving blade.

_Jeez, I wouldn't want to piss her off if this was within reach_, Alec mused. It was almost a shame to put it back but it wasn't the kind of weapon he needed. He pulled out the pistols, a box of ammunition and a set of twelve throwing knives. He couldn't afford to take anything more destructive. Unlike Max, Jess had no problem with killing, especially when it was her own ass on the line.

After a moment's thought, he picked through her clothes as well and snatched up a pair of dark jeans, a black singlet top and some fresh underwear. After a swim in the sewers, whatever she had on was probably a smelly mess. He stuffed them into the backpack and then added a pair of black boots. He needed Jess in a co-operative mood. If clean clothes helped in that department, so be it.

With that, he zipped up the bag and made his way out of the armoury. He jumped onto Rand's motorcycle and secured the backpack behind him. With one final look at Headquarters, Alec took off toward the tunnels.

**Terminal City Infirmary, 3pm**

Ember sat beside Jett's bed, her right hand twined with his. Her head was resting on the mattress beside his knees, her riot of coppery curls spread across the standard issue blanket. She closed her eyes, feeling inexplicably tired.

She was a nocturnal model. At most she needed an hour or two of sleep each night. The problem was emotional exhaustion. She was scared. Every minute that Jett remained in this coma scared her. It had been over five hours and he showed no sign of regaining consciousness. In an ordinary, that was understandable. In a transgenic it was worrying.

What if he never woke up? What if he didn't _want _to wake up? The idea that she might never have the chance to carry on another one-sided conversation with him made Ember feel sick to the stomach.

At first Ember thought she'd imagined the slight pressure on her fingers, which was gone as quickly as it had come. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked, drawing in a deep and steadying breath.

Then she felt him squeeze her fingers again and she jerked her head up. Her dark blue eyes met Jett's dark brown ones.

"Hey," she said softly, a relieved smile curving her lips. He opened his mouth but only a scratchy croak came out. She shook her head at the irony. "Of all the times for you to try to talk... It's okay. Don't try."

He shifted uncomfortably and Ember gently stroked his hair away from his face.

"You really scared me," she confessed, feeling a little shaky.

His lips twitched slightly. It wasn't much but it was all he could manage with so much damage to his facial tissue. It was also all the encouragement Ember needed.

She leaned down and pressed her lips to his for a long moment.

When she pulled back, the exasperated look in his eyes spoke volumes. She knew exactly what he was thinking, and her smile widened.

_Trust you to kiss me when I can't do anything about it_.

"You're stuck with me now. You know that, right?" she teased. He must have been in terrible pain but his answer was to reach up slowly and stroke her cheek. Ember slid her hand over the back of his and pressed a kiss into his palm.

"Let's get you some pain relief, huh?" she offered. He nodded slightly and with a gentle smile, she moved out of the room to summon one of the medics.


	24. The Key

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N:** I'm glad everyone's happy with the Jett/Ember development. I just couldn't bring myself to drag it out any longer. They're so perfect for each other. I hope you like this new chapter and thanks for all the reviews. I love hearing what you guys have to say. : )

**Chapter 24: The Key**

**Terminal City Headquarters, 3:00pm**

"Come on, guys, we have to figure this out."

Max was sitting in the bustling tech room at Headquarters, working slavishly over the computer system. Without it Terminal City was effectively blind and deaf. They had no security cameras, no hardwired phones, no television. Everything had crashed and no-one – not even Luke and Dix – had been able to repair the damage that X5-767 had wrought.

The girl Alec had so staunchly defended had played them like a guitar. Max was still furious with herself for letting it happen. 767 had taken Logan - though only God knew how she'd found out about him in the first place – and used him to bait her trap. Now the only thing standing between the rogue and freedom was the Sector Cops. No matter how much respect Max had for Ramon Clemente, she didn't believe they were capable of handling this particular situation.

After Brax's scathing and rather humiliating little lecture, Max had taken a couple of minutes to calm down and regain her composure before she'd left her office. He'd been right. She hated it but he was right.

So she'd walked back into the tech room and gotten to work. She was mad as hell and she was worried about Logan but she couldn't leave Terminal City. With Alec's loyalties in question and Mole at Harbour Lights, her command staff now consisted of Brax and Rand. She knew they were both extremely competent leaders but she also knew they were firmly in Alec's corner. She wasn't _quite_ comfortable leaving them in charge.

Rand chose that moment to walk in. Alone.

"Where's Alec?" Max asked immediately.

"Sleeping," Rand told her, "and don't even think about waking him."

"He's sleeping at a time like this?" Max asked sharply.

"Not everyone's nocturnal, Max," Rand replied. "He's no good to you when he's exhausted."

"You're still here and you haven't slept," Max pointed out stubbornly.

"I didn't donate a litre of blood to Gem. Leave it."

Max didn't argue the point further. She didn't have a chance. Her pager went off. With a huff, she yanked it off her belt and glanced at the display.

"I've gotta get to a phone. It's Clemente's number," Max muttered.

Rand simply held up his cell and tossed it to her without a word. With a nod of thanks, she flipped it open and dialled the number.

"_Clemente_."

"It's Max. You paged me?"

"_I've been trying to call your Headquarters but I couldn't get through_," Clemente told her.

"Yeah, we're having some problems with the hard line," Max replied. "What have you got for me?"

"_I've got a young woman here who claims she was at Crash Bar the night of the attack_," Clemente told her.

"I'm listening," Max told him.

"_She says the girl you're looking for is called Jess Devereaux. She thinks she's an X5_."

"She's right on both counts," Max informed him.

"_I'm not going to ask how you know that. Abby here says that Jess stopped two Vipers from mugging her three nights ago, gave 'em hell. They brought their friends to Crash to get some payback_."

"She saw all this?" Max asked.

"_She didn't see the actual fight. Apparently Jess made her go back inside before things got ugly_."

"So the Vipers bit off more than they could chew," Max surmised. "This Abby girl – do you think she's reliable?"

"_I think she believes what she's saying_," Clemente replied. "_We don't have any other witnesses. Right now it's her word against the Vipers_."

"The Vipers aren't exactly upstanding citizens," Max conceded.

"_Agreed_," Clemente replied. "_I'll let you know if I get anything else_."

"Thanks. I'm out." She hung up quickly and handed the phone back to Rand, who was speaking softly with Brax.

"Anything?" Brax asked.

"Clemente's got a witness from the Crash attack," Max informed them. "She says 767 was attacked, not the other way around."

"She has a name, you know," Brax reminded her.

"I know that," Max said, irritation clouding her features. Brax gave her a measuring look.

"You don't like thinking of her as a person, do you?" he asked.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Max put her hands on her hips as she turned to meet Brax's eyes. He came around to sit against the edge of the desk.

"It's like hearing about a murder on the news. You don't know the victim. They're nameless, faceless. You don't have to care about them," Brax told her.

"What's your point?" Max said impatiently.

"You can't just write her off, especially if this witness is on the level. She's the only one who knows where Logan is, or if he's even alive."

**Sector Three, Volunteer Park, 3:30pm**

Alec took his time riding towards the all-but-condemned building that had once been the Seattle Asian Museum. There was no point in rushing. He was soaked to the skin. Again.

_Stop raining, damn it_, he growled to himself. If there was someone upstairs, they sure as hell knew how to make a bad day worse. The cloudy sky showed no sign of clearing and the roads were slick. Anyone on wheels was driving like an old lady, something Alec couldn't abide. He didn't know what it was with transgenics and motorcycles but roaring down the highway with the wind rushing past him was a great way to relax. Sadly he hadn't had much opportunity of late. His commitment to Terminal City had seriously cut back his free time.

Without a second thought, Alec drove through the long-missing front door and came a halt on the left side of the room. The roar of the engine echoed in the emptiness. He turned to key and swung his leg over to stand beside the motorcycle.

He quickly scanned the surrounding area for anyone who might be watching. He knew some of the homeless population holed up in the building sometimes but there didn't appear to be anyone around. He carefully made his way inside, his senses on high alert.

Nonetheless, he didn't hear her circle around behind him, silent as a ghost.

"Alec."

His mouth curved upwards into a smile as he turned around.

As always, it was her eyes that drew his gaze first. Their singular colour had always been her most striking feature in his opinion. They warmed as she smiled in return.

"I'd hug you but I smell like a wet dog," she told him ruefully. Alec chuckled as he quickly closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her.

"Jessie," he whispered, a wealth of affection in his tone. Her smile widened as she hugged him back, steadfastly ignoring the throbbing in her shoulder.

"Good to see you too, baby brother," she said softly. When he finally set her away from him, he wrinkled his nose and sniffed.

"Hey, you _do_ smell like wet dog," he teased.

"Well, now you do too, so we're even," she observed, giving him a tired yet unrepentant grin.

Alec ran his eyes over her, quietly assessing her condition. Beneath the layers of mud, blood and sludge, she looked far too pale. The rough bandage on her shoulder was giving off a strong metallic scent that he didn't like and he'd never seen her so filthy, not even after bivouac drills at Manticore in the pouring rain.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Depends on your definition," she hedged. "You bring those first aid supplies?"

"Sure," he replied. He swung the bag off his shoulder. "Come on, let me take a look."

She nodded and led him towards the far end of the lobby, close to a corridor. She sat herself down behind the battered information desk and Alec crouched down beside her. He carefully peeled away the sticky dressing and tossed it aside.

The knife had clearly sliced right through her shoulder. If Alec knew Tucker he'd used his favourite Bowie knife, which was a good two inches wide. The skin was bruised where the hilt had struck the surrounding flesh. The wound itself wasn't the problem. It was the location that was a worry. It was way too close to the axillary artery.

"How much blood did you lose?" he asked in concern, looking her in the eyes.

"More than I can afford," she admitted reluctantly.

"Any dizziness?"

"It comes and goes," she replied with a shrug that made her wince slightly. He reached out and grasped her wrist to take her pulse. After a few moments he shook his head and fished fresh dressings out of the backpack, which he swiftly applied.

"Your heart rate's up and you're cold," he said thoughtfully. "It's a good thing you're transgenic or you'd have bled out by now. We've gotta get you cleaned up. If I cauterize this now, it'll just seal in the gunk."

"I'm open to any ideas that don't involve capture and cages," Jess told him.

"Terminal City."

She gave him a withering look.

"I said _no_ to capture and cages, Al."

_Al?_

She let out a ripple of laughter at the look on his face. A moment later Alec joined in and the tension drained out of him. She'd always had that effect on him. No matter how bad his day had been, she could still make him smile.

"Feel better?" she asked, her eyes dancing.

"Was it that obvious?" he asked in return.

"That you're wound tighter than Lane on his worst day? Yeah," she told him. "I take it that's my fault."

"Quick on the uptake, as always," he replied with a slight nod.

"Not as quick as I should have been," she denied. "I got into this mess, didn't I?"

"And as messes go, it's pretty spectacular," Alec chimed in helpfully.

"Gee, thanks," she said dryly.

"You're welcome," he told her, his trademark smirk making an appearance. "Okay, first thing, we find somewhere you can take a shower," Alec informed her. He patted the backpack and his voice took on a persuasive note. "Even brought you a fresh change of clothes."

"Fresh everything?" she asked, clearly interested. "The whole nine yards?"

"The whole nine yards," he confirmed. One corner of her mouth lifted slightly.

"So what exactly did you have in mind?" Jess asked, folding her arms across her chest. "It's not like we can check into the nearest motel."

Alec graced her with a conspiratorial grin.

"Wanna bet?"


	25. Familiarity

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews, guys. I know the last chapter was a bit of a snoozer. Forgive me?

**Zanda** – Great to have a new reviewer! I'm glad you like the story. As for the 'raging inferno', it'll be a while yet. Chimera is Part One of a ten-part series, not to mention that the time frame for this story has been three days or so. Max was never going to fall for Alec that fast. Hope you keep reading.

**girlofcherrys** – Yeah, Max's reaction will be interesting. New developments will influence it though. Read on…

**lakergirl **– I think that this _is_ a relationship of his own. Not the romantic kind, granted, but they are extremely close. Most of Alec's current friends (OC, Sketchy etc) were Max's friends first. Jess is all his, someone who puts him first.

**Angel of Darkness231** – It'll be a wake-up call for Max to compare her treatment of Alec to Jessie's. As for jealousy, I think it's inevitable, don't you?

**Alana84** – hope you stick with it. I'm gonna shake things up soon.

**darkangelgirl262** – It's nice to hear you like Alec and Jess's dynamic. I have trouble describing their relationship, cos it's really playful but tinged with a deeper understanding. Here's a hint – she's teasing him when she calls him "baby brother". Abby finally got a word in and Max is annoyed with Brax, but not really mad. He had a point about Max using Jess' designation instead of her name. It was very hypocritical of her.

**Chapter 25: Familiarity**

**Sector Three, 3:45pm**

"This is cocky, even for you."

Sitting behind Alec, Jess' hands were holding him lightly around the waist as he brought Rand's black motorcycle to a halt about a hundred metres from the No-Tel Motel.

"Have you got a better idea?" he asked. "No-one's gonna look for us in a motel."

"No-one's gonna look for _me_ in a motel. You, on the other hand…" He turned to smile at her over his shoulder.

"What's the matter, Jessie? Nervous?" he teased.

"Cautious," she corrected him as she got off the bike. "You've heard of the concept, right?"

"Yeah, Deck might have mentioned it a time or two," he conceded. "It's cool. Just stay out of sight until I've got us a room. Okay?"

"Okay," she replied with a nod and quickly disappeared into the shadows of the run-down houses surrounding the motel. Alec waited a few moments and rode towards what passed for the reception booth. Minutes later he was unlocking the door to Room Eleven. He flicked on the light, opened the window and waited.

Sure enough, Jess slid inside a couple of moments later, her boots squelching on the wooden floorboards. She immediately tugged them off and threw them back out of the window like garbage.

"Here." Alec pulled a bar of soap out of his backpack and tossed it to her along with the fresh clothes. "Shower's through there." He waved a hand towards the door on his right. "We'll patch you up once you're clean."

"You're a life saver," she enthused, disappearing into the bathroom without further ado. Alec smiled to himself as the door shut behind her.

It was still sinking in that she was actually flesh and blood and there with him. She'd been beaten, stabbed, nearly drowned and God knew she stunk to high heaven but she still found the energy to bounce into the bathroom. It was just so… Jessie.

Safely ensconced indoors, neither transgenic was aware of the black sedan that had just pulled up on the street. Its tinted windows hid the identity of the driver, who had a cell phone practically glued to his ear.

"_Where are you?_"

"The No-Tel Motel on Ward Street," he replied. "No sign of any other transgenics."

"_Okay, stay there. I want to know every move 494 makes_."

"Yes, sir.

"_Fe'nos'tol_."

"Fe'nos'tol."

**Sector Seven, Terminal City Headquarters, 4pm**

Max ground her teeth in frustration. She'd just been booted out of the tech room, her skills apparently not as valuable as those of Luke, Dix or their compatriots. She'd have been insulted if Brax and Rand hadn't been similarly expelled. Now the three of them were doing everything they could to co-ordinate Terminal City's defences, making sure they hadn't overlooked anything. Cell phones were their only means of communication and not everyone had one.

When Max's pager sounded out, she absently pulled it off her belt and glanced at the display. For a moment she didn't recognize the number.

_Doctor Shankar?_ she thought, a little surprised that the medico even had her pager number in the first place. She usually contacted Logan.

_Then again, Logan's indisposed_, Max thought bitterly. She picked up Brax's phone, which he'd graciously loaned to her despite her rather public tantrum. Quickly dialling the number, she waited for the good doctor to pick up.

"_City Morgue. Beverly Shankar speaking_."

"It's Max. You paged me."

"_Thanks for getting back to me. Logan's phone keeps getting cut off_."

"Sure. What's up?"

"_Some government men just came and confiscated the body of the police officer who was shot at the Sector Five warehouse_," Shankar continued. "_Just like that body with the barcode two years ago_."

"Did you notice anything about the body that was suspicious?" Max asked, a shiver running down her spine.

"_It only had one distinguishing feature as far as I could tell_," the doctor replied. "_A raised scar, kind of like a brand. A winged staff with two snakes twined around it_."

"The Caduceus…" Max whispered as realization blossomed in her mind. Realization… and horror. "Thank you," she said hurriedly. "I have to go."

"_Of course_." Doctor Shankar hung up without any further attempts to conversation.

_Oh my God. The cop who opened fire was a Familiar_. Max suddenly felt sick. White's cult loonies were back and they'd turned a simple retrieval operation into her worst nightmare.

Dashing out of her office, she went straight into Alec's and closed the door behind her. Brax and Rand looked up in surprise. They weren't in Max's good books and they knew it.

"We have a serious problem," Max told them grimly.

"So spill it already," Rand urged her.

"The breeding cult's back."

**Sector Three, The No-Tel Motel, Room Eleven, 4:10pm**

Jess emerged from the bathroom in a swirl of steam.

Clad in the dark blue jeans and black singlet top he'd brought along, her creamy and thankfully clean hair was still wet and falling loosely around her shoulders. She padded barefoot across the room and sat herself down on the bed, where he'd already set up the necessary first aid supplies.

Alec looked up at her and frowned slightly. Her already-pale skin was marred by multi-coloured bruises, scratches and cuts. She reached out with her good arm and tilted his rather puffy, purple cheek up to the light.

"Are you gonna tell me what happened to your face?" she asked.

"I cut myself shaving," he replied, keeping his expression completely neutral. She clearly didn't buy it for a second but she let it slide.

She shuffled around to sit with her wounded shoulder at a right angle to his chest. He briefly inspected the injury, which was already clotting, and she picked up the pocket knife and cigarette lighter.

"You know, I could just stitch this up for you," he offered. She shook her head and passed him the necessities.

"Stitches won't hold if it comes down to a fight," she told him. "Just cauterize it."

"All right," he relented as he began heating the blade. "Any other injuries I should know about while I'm doin' this?"

"My pride took a beating but I don't think that counts," she joked as the blade began to glow a baleful orange. "Come on, get it over with."

"It's gonna hurt like hell," he warned. "Ready?"

"I'm always ready," she replied as Alec grasped her arm and pressed the flat of the blade against the first wound for a couple of seconds. He felt Jess stiffen in his grip and grit her teeth as the smell of burning flesh reached his nose for the second time that day. He quickly repeated the action on the other side of her shoulder. Jess didn't make a sound, but when he finally took the metal away from her skin she let out the breath she'd been holding.

"Thanks," she ground out, wincing as she gingerly rotated her shoulder. Alec reached out to snatch up a small bottle of iodine and a few cotton swabs. He quickly dabbed it over her shoulder and set it aside.

"The rest should take care of itself," he told her as she turned so that she was face-to-face with him. He took the opportunity to take a good look at her now that she was clean.

By design, the X5s were beautiful but to Alec's mind there had always been a few who stood out among the rest. Max and Jess topped the list. He was well and truly pissed off with Max but that didn't mean she didn't have a great backside. Max's Mediterranean fire next to Jess' Gallic brilliance. The contrast made Alec smile. He had a sneaking suspicion that if he put the two young women into a room together, the result would be very entertaining.

"You didn't seem that surprised to hear from me," Jess observed quietly.

"A friend of mine took your picture at Crash," Alec explained.

"The gangly guy who was staring at me?" she asked, an eyebrow rising.

"Knowing Sketchy, that's a fair description," he conceded. "He called me when he realized what he had."

"That'll teach me to ignore happy-snappers," she groused. Alec grinned in response, then sighed as she glanced over her shoulder at the curtained windows.

"Come on, this is perfect," he cajoled, hoping she'd relax. "Hiding in plain sight."

"Easy for you to say. You're not gonna get your ass shot up if they find you," she pointed out.

"No-one's gonna shoot you," he assured her.

"No, of course not, they'll just stab me like your meathead friend did," she replied blandly. "They haven't shown me a thing to make me believe they want me alive."

"_I_ want you alive. That's enough," he told her, meeting her eyes. "To be fair though, you did kidnap one of our allies. Not exactly an act of good faith. We need all the friends we can get right now, Jessie."

She rolled her eyes and sniffed dramatically in a perfect imitation of an aggrieved drama queen

"I knew it. You only want me for my hostage," she mocked him. The outrageous statement made him laugh all over again.

"Gimme a break here," he pleaded, trying without success to look serious.

"Relax," she told him. "Your friend's fine."

"'Friend' is stretching it," he muttered, immediately catching Jess' attention.

"You don't like him?" she asked, giving him a curious look.

"We disagree on a couple of key issues," Alec replied vaguely. When Jess gave him a knowing look, he reluctantly nodded. "Okay, a lot of key issues."

"Such as?" she queried, meeting his hazel eyes.

"Nothing I can't handle, Jessie," he told her, hoping she'd let it go. They never fell for each other's bullshit – they saw right through it. Fortunately, Jess seemed to sense his reticence and she didn't pursue the subject further.

"Well, don't worry. He's holed up safe and sound," Jess assured him. "You'll get him back in one piece."

"What about our computer systems? Will we get those back in one piece?"

"All I want is to get out of Seattle. After that, I'll give you the cypher you need," she said.

"You're really leaving?" he asked, the very idea repellent to him.

"Do I have a choice?" she asked softly, her guard finally coming down completely. "The whole city is hunting me. I can't hide forever."

"I don't want you to go," he told her, the sincerity in his voice surprising even to himself. Her blue-green eyes met his hazel ones for a long moment. For the first time, Alec saw indecision in her eyes.

"Come with me," she whispered.

For one terrible moment he hated Terminal City and all the responsibility it entailed. For so many years, Jess had been the only person in his life who'd given a damn about him. She'd comforted him, defended him and he'd done the same for her. She'd kept him centred.

_Are you the reason I didn't end up like Ben?_

The thought came out of nowhere. His twin had been alone for so long, cut off from everything he understood and everyone who understood him. By the time Max had found him, he'd snapped.

Max. The girl's who freed him, named him… Joshua, Original Cindy, Sketchy, Rand, Brax… The names and faces of the people who'd made Seattle his home flashed through his mind.

Part of him desperately wanted to stay with Jess, to find a place where no-one knew them or wanted to hurt them. But he knew there was no such place.

Jess saw the answer in his face before he verbalised it.

"I can't," he said, his voice sounding strange even to his own ears. "I'm sorry."

She nodded silently and he saw her eyes become guarded once more, veiling her emotions.

"Jessie…" He opened his mouth to try to explain but she shook her head.

"Don't. It's okay," she said, summoning up a smile that Alec didn't buy for a second. "So what's the plan?"

"Jessie, please," Alec insisted. "Come back to Terminal City."

"What for? The fences? The cops and the military keepin' you penned? It's a glorified cage, Alec," she told him.

"It's not like that," he continued. "It's not much, but it's ours."

"Name one thing in Terminal City that I can't get somewhere else with a lot less trouble."

"Me," he said simply, holding her gaze. He saw that penetrate, knew she was turning it over in her mind. He also saw an opening. "Or are you afraid?" he taunted gently.

As expected, her eyes flashed blue-green fire. In all their years together, Alec had never known Jess to be afraid of anything or anyone. Even Lydecker hadn't intimidated her as he did most others. It was the threat of reprisal against Alec that had kept her in line.

She knew he'd said it deliberately but the effect was the same. She glared at him for a moment, knowing he'd gotten the better of her with that one simple sentence.

"You know me too well," she grumbled stubbornly and let her breath out in a rush. She gave him a sharp look. "Do you _swear_ I'm not gonna get my ass shot off?"

"I swear," he said, giving her his most sincere butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth look. She just cocked an eyebrow at him, totally immune to his formidable charms.

"I know I'm gonna regret this," she mused. When he grinned she snatched up one of the pillows and held it up threateningly. "Don't give me that look," she warned him.

"What look?" he asked innocently.

"That 'I-talked-Jess-into-doing-things-my-way' look," she told him, her anger already dissipating in the face of his obvious non-repentance. She swung the pillow at him and he deftly caught it, chuckling in satisfaction.

"At least you don't leave bruises," he said with a sigh.

"What? Who leaves bruises?" she asked, her hackles immediately rising at the implication of his remark. Her eyes flew to his cheek and Alec suddenly wished he'd kept his mouth shut.

"Never mind."


	26. Misdirection

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N:** It's good to see people warming up to Jess. In earlier chapters we didn't really see her interacting with people so she came off as a real bitch. Then again, she wasn't exactly kind-hearted where Logan was concerned.

**Lyndsay** – I promise sparks will come but for now they've still gotta get back to TC. Nothing's ever easy.

**Ashley** – Allo allo. Meet and greet is still coming but I hope the bits in-between are entertaining.

**X5898** – I'm glad you like Jess and I think you're right about her reaction to Max/Alec. She's a mischievous kind of girl and that's half the reason things have a tendency to go sideways when she gets involved.

**Alana84** – the response to Alec/Jess has been great. Just White 'til White gets his hooks into everyone.

**darkangelgirl262** – Max hit Alec in The Proverbial Straw, while Rand and Brax are covering up for Alec while he tries to get Jess back to TC.

**girlofcherrys** – Yeah, Alec's grown up a lot. I think at the beginning of Season 2, Alec would have taken Jess up on her offer without a second thought. Now he's committed to TC and he won't abandon it.

**Amelya** – got your e-mail and those sites look great. It was such a compliment! Max/Alec/Jess is getting more complicated and the Familiars are interfering, as always.

**calistra** – Jess is extremely protective of Alec, just like he's extremely protective of her. Jess is sure as hell gonna rock the boat – she isn't the type to back down from someone like Max.

**DA-X5-494** – Aww, shucks. I'm glad you like the Alec I'm envisioning in this story. As for the name "Jess" being like Jensen, I really hadn't thought about it until you mentioned it. It was just coincidence.

**Chapter 26: Misdirection**

**Sector Seven, Terminal City Headquarters, 4:20pm**

"The cops aren't equipped to handle White's cult." Max was in her office with Brax and Rand, poring over the Seattle maps she kept there.

"Do we know if White's actually involved this time around?" Rand asked.

"Not yet, but I'd put money on it," Max told him. "He's got a pretty serious beef with the transgenics."

"And one in particular," Brax said helpfully, looking at Max. "He's probably trying to flush you out."

"Have you contacted everyone outside the fence?" Max asked.

"Mole, Shaine and Dalton are on guard duty at Harbour Lights, so nothing's gonna get near Gem. Normal and Original Cindy are there too. The only loose end was your friend Sketchy but I diverted Boyd and Daleto Jam Pony in case they take a cue from Jess and decided to swipe a hostage."

"There's no one else outside?" Max double-checked, looking to Brax for an answer. Rand and Brax shared an uncomfortable look that made Max narrow her eyes. "What is it?" she asked warily. "Who'd we miss?"

"Alec's outside," Brax finally admitted, watching Max's reaction carefully. She looked from Brax to Rand and back again.

"What?" she asked curtly, barely controlling her tone. Her dark eyes swung back to Rand. "You told me Alec was sleeping."

"Jess contacted him. He went to meet her almost two hours ago," Rand informed her, wondering for a moment if Max was going to hit him the way she'd hit Alec. The look in her eyes bordered on ferocious.

"He went to meet her," Max repeated, feeling strangely numb.

"He's trying to talk her down so he can get her back here," Brax explained. Max blinked, her expression rapidly darkening.

"So did he order you to lie to me or was that your own idea?" she demanded angrily.

"It was my idea," Rand told her without hesitation. "He needed time so I gave it to him. He went straight from Joshua's."

"Joshua knows?" The hint of outrage in Max's voice put both Brax and Rand on their guard. Rand gritted his teeth, knowing he'd just put his foot in his mouth. The last thing they needed was for Max to be mad at Joshua as well. Joshua was the peacemaker of Terminal City.

Brax sent Rand an irritated look.

_Nice going_.

**Sector Three, The No-Tel Motel, Room Eleven, 4:20pm**

"So you have no idea what happened to the others?" Alec asked. He was stretched out on the bed with Jess beside him, his head propped on his hand. "Lane? Devon…?"

"They're probably still taking orders from Stendahl," she shrugged, her movements clear despite the gloom. They'd turned the light off as it made no difference to their transgenic vision. "This Max of yours may have burned down the Seattle base but Quantico was still intact."

"You got out," he observed.

"I was on a mission here," she replied. "I saw the Eyes Only hack and figured the odds were in my favour."

"Do you think they'll come after you?" Alec asked in concern.

"Probably," Jess said honestly. "Stendahl thinks of us as his property. He's one mean son of a bitch."

"Worse than Lydecker?"

"He called me the Angel of Death."

"Funny," Alec said blandly.

"Yeah," Jess agreed softly, a curiously flat look in her eyes. "Except he wasn't joking." Then she seemed to shake it off. "Even Renfro couldn't force his hand."

"Meaning she tried," Alec surmised, deciding not to question her further about Stendahl's nickname for her. Jess nodded.

"After the Manticore DNA lab was destroyed, she tried to strong-arm him into loaning us to the breeding programme. He pretty much told her to stick it up her ass."

"I'll bet she took that well," Alec chuckled.

"When she contracted me to kill one of the Committee members, she was less than complimentary where Stendahl was concerned. Apparently she didn't want the mission traced to the Seattle base."

"Fair enough," Alec shrugged. He regarded Jess curiously for a moment. "Just out of interest, what exactly was your plan for getting out of the city?"

She looked up, caught a little off-guard by the change in subject.

"Easy enough," she told him. "Cops I can handle. An entire city of my own kind is another story. I took Logan to bait my trap and deliver the virus. It took down Terminal City's systems, leaving me free to slip past the cops."

"So where do I fit in?" he asked.

"You didn't," she replied honestly. "I didn't realize you were here until I hacked the database on Logan's computer. I figured if I could get you away from TC we could both bail. I didn't count on you not wanting to leave."

"How did you even find out about Logan in the first place? That he was Eyes Only?"

A mischievous sparkle appeared in Jess' eyes. "I guess it won't hurt to tell you. I was hiding out in the police station. When Max and Logan were talking to Clemente, I overheard them. I put two-and-two together."

"No way." Alec's amusement was obvious. "That's it? It was chance?"

"I prefer to think of it as a stroke of good luck," Jess corrected him, "but yeah."

"So where are you holding him?" Alec pressed her. She rolled her eyes.

"Give it a rest already," Jess said, clearly exasperated. "I tied him up with jumper cables and put an anti-personnel mine in his lap."

Alec's eyes nearly bugged out. "You what?"

"Relax. It's not a real mine. He's sweating over a dead pager shell and a couple of well-placed wires to make it look good."

A slow smile curved Alec's mouth as he realized what she meant.

"You were bluffing?" he asked, barely stifling the impulse to laugh.

"I hooked it up with some string, weighed it down a bit and told him it was an anti-personnel mine," she said breezily. "It looked real enough."

"And he believed you?"

"Of course. You're the only one who can tell when I'm lying, remember?" She grinned mischievously. "It's sitting pretty close to the family jewels so he's probably terrified that he'll never have children." This time Alec couldn't suppress his laughter.

"Jessie, that just made my day," he declared merrily.

**Sector Seven, Terminal City Headquarters, 4:25pm**

Joshua walked into Headquarters and immediately sensed the tension in the building.

When he saw Max stalk out of her office with Brax and Rand in tow, he moved towards her, hoping to soothe the anger that was no doubt close to boiling over.

"You don't want to talk to me right now, Joshua," Max warned. Behind her, Brax and Rand were both shaking their heads at him. Joshua ignored their attempts to put him off.

"Little Fella okay?" he asked.

"No, actually," Max said rather tersely. "Little Fella's pissed off that everyone lied to her about Alec going after Jess." Joshua frowned. He could understand that she wasn't happy with being misled but surely she could see why.

"Medium Fella needed to go," Joshua said calmly. "Needed to find little sister."

"Come on, Joshua, Alec doesn't believe in that sibling stuff and you know it," Max argued heatedly. "He doesn't think. He just went off half-cocked, probably with that stupid I'm-always-all-right grin on his face."

"Alec not all right, Max!" Joshua snapped, his outburst startling her so much she actually backed up a step. She stared up at him, his anger taking all the fight out of her. She couldn't bear to have Joshua mad at her.

"Joshua, I –"

"Alec loves her," Joshua clarified. "Like Max loves Joshua. Like I loved Isaac."

_Alec loves her_. Those three little words seemed to echo in Max's mind, the last piece of the puzzle she'd been too damn stubborn to put together.

"He's afraid they'll take her away again," Joshua continued harshly. "Like Manticore did."

Max just wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole as realization dawned.

Alec was fighting as hard for Jess as she'd fought for her family. For Tinga and Brin… and Zack.

As hard as he wished he'd fought for Rachel.

She hadn't just blocked all of Jess' exits. She'd blocked all of Alec's at the same time and she hadn't listened when he tried to stop her. Max thought back to the time Logan had tried to stop her going to help Zack after he'd escaped from Manticore. She'd lost her temper with him, just as Alec had lost his with her.

Looking at the way she'd handled the situation, Max couldn't find much to be proud of. If she'd been in Alec's position, she'd probably have done the same.

"I'll fix it, Big Fella," she promised, looking up at Joshua's face.

"Good."

Then Joshua walked away from her, leaving her with Brax and Rand.

"Do you want me to call him in?" Rand asked, referring to Alec.

"No," Max said, shaking her head. "I'll do it."

**Sector Three, The No-Tel Motel, Room Eleven, 4:27pm**

Alec's phone started ringing and he looked sheepishly at Jess.

"Don't ignore it on my account," Jess told him. He quickly answered it.

"Alec here."

"_It's Max_." Alec stiffened, a reaction that wasn't lost on Jess. He made a concerted effort to relax but Jess was still watching him. His body language had already given him away.

"Max, hey," he greeted her carefully, trying to gauge her mood. "What's up?"

"_Apparently you are_," Max sniped. "_You move fast for someone who's supposed to be asleep._"

"Get to the point," Alec told her impatiently.

"_I didn't call you to yell at you_," Max replied, her tone softening. "_I'll save that for later._ _The cult's back. The cop who opened fire in the warehouse was one of their psychos. We're recalling everyone we can_."

"Gem?"

"_She's covered. Brax and Rand came clean. Is she with you?_"

"Yeah."

"_Don't sound so defensive. Both of you need to get back here now_."

"Got it," Alec replied. "We should be there soon."

"_Be careful_." The simple request unexpectedly warmed him and he relaxed.

"Always."

**Sector Three, Outside The No-Tel Motel, 4:30pm**

"_He's been tipped._ _All units move in and take the transgenics alive_."

"Yes, sir."


	27. Numbers

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**girlofcherrys – **Yeah, the poor transgenics are up to their necks in trouble. Aren't they always? Thanx for reviewing!

**calistra** – Glad you liked it. Hope this chapter answers the question of who's after them. Thanx for reviewing!

**X5898** – I think out of everyone at TC, Joshua is the wisest. Glad you like Brax and Rand – they make a great double team. As for the Familiars, they always fought dirty and this whole mess is their fault. Thanx for reviewing!

**lakergirl08** – Yep, Alec's phone is bugged. You know, I kinda feel bad for Alec and Jess and I'm the one writing the story. Somehow I can't bring myself to cut them some slack. Thanx for reviewing!

**Alana84** – It's White. Sneaky bastard… Thanx for reviewing!

**Lyndsay** – Gotta admit that I love cliff-hangers. They're so much fun. Thanx for reviewing!

**darkangelgirl262** – Alec and Jess are far from safe right now. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanx for reviewing!

**M/A!** – Yep, Max finally figured out what's driving Alec. Max's reaction to Jess should be entertaining now that Max has her head back in the game, but first and foremost they're just trying to survive right now. Thanx for reviewing!

**chance32** – Max finally realized yelling wasn't getting her anywhere with Alec and wasn't helping the broader situation. Hope you stay with us. Thanx for reviewing!

**Chapter 27: Numbers**

**Sector Three, The No-Tel Motel, Room Eleven, 4:30pm**

"We've gotta go," Alec announced as soon as he hung up the phone.

"So much for a good night's sleep," Jess said ruefully as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and reached for the fresh boots Alec had brought for her. "Any time you wanna fill me in…"

"Cliff's Notes version – an anti-transgenic breeding cult stepped in to make a bad situation worse. The mess in the warehouse was their handiwork."

Jess let out a low whistle as she quickly laced up the boots. "A breeding cult? And I thought Manticore was whacked-out."

Alec moved across the room to the backpack and extracted the weapons, mentally taking inventory of what he'd brought along. He glanced at Jess. She was in no condition for hand-to-hand combat and they both knew it.

"Can you handle a gun with that shoulder?" he asked. She nodded and he passed her the pistols and ammunition. She loaded them with the ease of long practice, pocketing the spare magazines.

"I see you found my weapons stash," Jess observed as she shrugged her double-holster back onto her shoulders – she'd been fortunate to not lose it in the sewers. "Is this all you've got?"

"I wasn't anticipating the Familiars," Alec told her as he pulled out the throwing knives and handed them over to her as well.

"I suppose you're not talking about witch-loving cats?" Jess asked as she returned the gesture by giving him her sheathed boot knife, which he quickly fastened to his calf before pulling his jeans back down to conceal it.

"You heard about the Jam Pony siege?"

"I saw it on the news," Jess confirmed as she settled the knife belt around her slender hips.

"The Familiars escalated the situation then and they pulled the same stunt in the warehouse last night. The cop you popped was one of them. They want our kind wiped out in a big way." He quickly checked his own pistol.

"Kill or incapacitate?" she prompted, switching into soldier mode.

"Incapacitate them but don't kill unless it's absolutely necessary. The public doesn't know what they are. They're as strong as we are and they don't feel pain."

Jess looked up at him in disbelief but she moved too fast and she reached out to steady herself against the wall.

"Are you okay?" he asked in concern.

"Just a little dizzy," she replied, shaking her head slightly. "I'm good."

"Come on, let's get out of here," Alec urged her. "No-one knows where we are so we should be-"

Both transgenics heard it at the same moment. They stilled, instantly alert.

" – safe," Alec finished lamely.

"You were saying?" Jess replied, automatically lowering her voice. They could both hear the sound of many boots squelching softly in the mud. Both of them doubted that the motel had suddenly had an influx of customers.

Alec moved closer to the door at the same time Jess moved towards the grimy window. He turned his attention to the people approaching the front side of the hotel. He let his ears do the work, his mind sorting through each layer of sound until he found what he wanted. He tuned out the rain and the background noise, the distant babble of a television set and the chatter of the civilians in the vicinity.

He picked out the footsteps, the rhythm, and calculated the size of the force approaching.

He looked over at Jess and made a rapid hand gesture. Ten men. She nodded in return and affirmed that an identical group was coming in from the other side. She crept closer to the window and peered outside, carefully taking stock of what she saw.

_Tasers and shock prods_, she mouthed at him.

_So they want us alive_, Alec thought grimly. _How the hell did they find us here?_ he fumed. They couldn't have lojacked the Bandit – he'd left it at Terminal City.

With a sinking feeling, Alec pulled his phone out of his pocket and groaned as it hit him.

They'd tapped his phone and traced him. They'd heard every word Max had said to him. Anger at his own carelessness boiled up inside him. He'd been so confident that the line was secure…

Jess snapped her fingers to get his attention and gave him a questioning look. He held up the phone and pointed outside. She nodded in grim understanding as he tossed the offending object onto the floor.

They couldn't afford to be captured – not with the current anti-transgenic situation - but neither of them were in any condition for a drawn-out confrontation. Speed was their best weapon now.

Alec and Jess communicated silently, signalling rapidly as they formed a semblance of a plan.

_We hit hard, we hit fast and we don't back off_. Max's words lingered in the back of Alec's mind.

It was quickly decided. Alec would take the front, Jess would take the back and with a little luck they wouldn't get themselves killed. Alec hated the idea of letting her go up against them on her own but there wasn't any other option. He was exhausted and she was in much worse shape than he was.

Then again, Jess had never been one to back down when the going got tough. He just had to trust that she had enough energy left to get the job done.

With one final glance at each other, the two transgenics simply moved out into the rain. The apparently-unarmed Alec opened the door and walked out to meet the group while Jess climbed out of the window, her guns and throwing knives clearly visible.

Alec was immediately surrounded.

"Where's the other one?" the leader demanded, his taser aimed squarely at Alec's chest.

"She went to say hi to the guys around back," Alec replied smoothly.

"Put your hands on your head," the leader snapped.

Alec obediently raised his hands. Another man lowered his shock prod and approached Alec, handcuffs at the ready. Alec waited patiently, expectantly. The officer was within a foot of the hazel-eyed transgenic when the first gunshot rang out from behind the motel, followed by the pained shout of the target.

His opponents lost their concentration for a split-second and Alec struck. He snatched the shock prod from the officer at his side. A single open-handed blow to the chest sent the man reeling backwards and Alec blurred, easily disarming a second man even as he dodged the tasers. With a shock prod in each hand, he spun into a series of kata strikes. One by one, they fell in the wake of Alec's attack, convulsing from the effects of the electricity he wielded.

Behind the hotel, a similar scene was unfolding. Jess fired round after round, dodging the tasers and shock prods as the men who surrounded her appeared to move in slow-motion. Blood sprayed from hands and shattered kneecaps. Weapons dropped uselessly into the mud. Not one of them managed to lay a hand on her. Dimly she was aware of the screams of the other people in the motel, waking to the sound of relentless gunfire.

Finally Jess was the only one still standing. Men sprawled in the muck, crying out in pain. She surveyed her handiwork impassively even as she swayed on her feet. She could hear nothing from Alec's side of the building.

Feeling completely drained, Jess turned to drag herself back through the window.

A sudden sharp pain in the back of her neck stopped her dead. Jess reached up and pulled a tranquilizer dart out of her flesh.

_Oh shit_… she thought in alarm, using the few precious seconds she knew she had to make a dash for the window. She was halfway through when she felt another stab in her arm. She managed to pull out the second dart as she all but fell into the motel room, powerless to stop the lethargy spreading through her limbs.

Alec heard her hit the floor and rushed back inside to find her lying on the floor, a discarded dart on the worn carpet. She was semi-conscious, fighting to stay awake.

"Sniper…" she managed to say, her voice fading just as she was.

"Jessie, come on, stay with me," Alec protested, knowing it was useless. "Jessie!"

Too late. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she was out cold.

Then a shadow filled the doorway and Alec looked up to find an unimposing man standing there. He didn't seem at all perturbed by the fury burning in Alec's hazel eyes. Alec rose to his feet again, placing his body between the stranger and Jess.

"Submit," the stranger ordered him simply. He was an inch or two shorter than Alec and quite lean. He had a microphone in his ear and he was dressed neatly in a black suit. His hands were in his pockets, a blatant show of disrespect for the abilities of the transgenic before him.

Alec took a step forward and immediately regretted it. The newcomer simply drew a handgun. Alec tried to dive out of the way but the guy in the suit moved just as fast. The bullet tore through Alec's right thigh and the transgenic bit back a cry of pain as his leg refused to hold his weight. He found himself on the ground, glaring up at his opponent as blood soaked into his jeans with sickening speed.

"Try anything and I'll put one right between your eyes," the man threatened, "and hers." He waved the pistol in Jess' direction and Alec stiffened.

"You're one of White's psychos," Alec growled accusingly.

"How observant," the man replied blandly. Then he turned to signal his back-up team into the room.

"Sir, you shot him?" one of the officers asked when he saw the state of the room. "Agent White specified that they were to be taken alive."

"He'll live," the suit replied. "Bring them."

**Sector Seven, Terminal City Headquarters, 5:30pm**

Max glanced at her watch for the hundredth time since she'd called Alec and bit her lower lip. An hour had passed and as each minute ticked by she tried to tell herself that delays were to be expected. Getting through sector checkpoints was a nightmare right now and he'd have to pass through two of them with Jess in tow. With every cop in the city on the lookout for a petite blonde sporting a barcode, it was a lot easier said than done.

Terminal City had taken its cue from the cops and locked down the perimeter. No-one got in or out without the express authorization of Max, Rand or Brax. Only Alec was the exception – the three leaders had issued orders stating that he and Jess were to be allowed entry as soon as they arrived. Max wanted them back in Terminal City where they were safe.

_Who are you kidding?_ Max asked herself. _You want_ him _safe_. _You don't even know this sister of his_.

767. Eva's twin. The idea made Max uncomfortable, even more than when she'd first realized that Alec was Ben's clone. In the years since the escape, Max had sometimes wondered what Eva would have looked like if she'd survived.

Now she was going to get her answer.

Part of Max railed against it. It wasn't fair that this stranger had lived when Eva had not. Eva had been one of the leaders, second only to Zack. When Max had succumbed to the tremors that day, Zack had jumped to her defense and Eva hadn't hesitated to follow his example. Just as Max had been closest to Ben and Jondy, Zack had been closest to Zane and Eva.

Once upon a time, Max had thought the same of Alec, that it wasn't fair for the cocky ladies' man to live the life her loving storyteller should have had. Max pictured Eva as she'd last seen her, standing defiantly between Lydecker and her siblings, only to be executed by the man who called them 'his kids'.

"Max."

She looked up to find Rand standing to her left, his cell phone in his hand.

"What is it?" she asked anxiously.

"I've got Boyd on the line. I think you should hear this." He handed her the phone, took Brax's from her and she pressed the speaker to her ear.

"Boyd?"

"_Max, we've got trouble. There've been reports on every channel of a shoot-out at a motel in Sector Three_."

Max knew she wasn't going to like where Boyd was going with this.

"_They're saying that a pair of transgenics were taken into custody_ _by the feds about an hour ago. No official comment has been given though_."

"Which motel?"

"_The No-Tel Motel on Ward_," Boyd told her. "_Apparently the Xs took out a fair number of cops before they went down_. _Do you want me and Dale to check it out?_"

"No, stay where you are," Max told him. "We'll handle it. Just keep an eye on things. We're blind over here."

"_Will do. Boyd out_." Max snapped the phone shut and turned to find Rand waiting for her.

"Alec's phone's ringing out," he told her, concern written across his handsome face.

"We need volunteers. Round up anyone willing and bring them to the command centre."

"You're going after him?" Rand asked, a glint of approval in his blue eyes.

"I'm always saving his ass anyway," Max replied nonchalantly. "What's one more time gonna hurt?"

Rand grinned. "I can speak for Brax. We're in."

"Good. Now get going," she told him. He gave her a jaunty salute.

"Yes, ma'am."


	28. Achilles' Heel

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N:** Sorry this took so long. Damn TCP server errors!

**calistra** – Yeah, Max has been dragging her heels for most of the story but now she's gonna get her hands dirty.

**darkangelgirl262** – Why White wants both Alec and Jess will be explained in this chapter. As for Jett, he's not going anywhere. He can't with two broken legs!

**Aleja21** – I've always thought of Jess as a catalyst. Where she leads, change follows and it's not always good – a prime example is the blow-out between Alec and Max. Her presence alone is forcing Max to re-evaluate things.

**girlofcherrys** – Thanks for reviewing!

**X5898** – After the way Max first reacted to Alec in Designate This, I thought I'd better cover the Eva's-twin thing from Max's POV.

**Rose** – (blush) Aww, thanks so much! I'm trying to stay as true to the series as I can.

**Doza** – Great to have a new reviewer! Hope you keep reading.

**Angel of Darkness231** – I thought Alec and Jess working together quickly and silently was a good contrast to Alec and Max, who were constantly yapping at each other both in the series and on the heist.

**Alana84** – Glad you liked the fight scene. I thought Alec deserved to win a fight for once.

**lakergirl08** – My characters have limits and Jess just reached hers. Thanks to Biggs and CeCe, we know that transgenics are anything but invulnerable.

**MirellaM** – Wow, thanks so much! I hope you stay with us!

**Chapter 28: Achilles Heel**

**Sector Nine, 5:30pm**

Cuffed, gagged and blindfolded, Alec was thrown headfirst into a cage. His leg failed to support his weight and he staggered against the bars as the door slammed shut. He barely managed to suppress a growl as the impact jarred his injury and pain lanced through him. A moment later he felt the cage being hoisted into the air.

_Great. Just great_.

He heard a second door swing shut with a metallic clang and he instinctively turned towards the sound. He heard the locks click into place and the men walked away, confident their captives were secure. He strained his ears, listening for any sign that Jess was awake. He heard nothing.

_This is bullshit_, Alec growled inwardly. _Okay, first order of business_… _Damn, this is gonna hurt_.

Alec drew his knees up to his chest and began working the cuffs underneath his body. He would have loved to just jump over them but his leg wouldn't co-operate. He gritted his teeth against the pain and kept going until he finally got his hands clear of his feet. He let his legs stretch out again as he pulled off the blindfold and yanked the gag out of his mouth.

He looked around, taking in his surroundings. He recognized the building. It was the same one White had held him in a year ago, when he'd demanded that Alec kill three transgenics and bring back their barcodes.

_It's probably the same cage_, Alec thought in disgust, looking down. He was suspended about seventeen or eighteen feet in the air. Then he glanced across and spotted an identical enclosure about ten metres away. Jess was lying on her side, her long hair hanging through the bars. She was still unconscious and her weight was on her injured shoulder. She didn't stir at all. He could barely hear her breathing.

"Jessie?" he called softly. She didn't respond at all.

She should have been starting to wake by now. Under any other circumstances he was certain she'd have been alert and royally pissed-off. Yet Alec had the uncomfortable feeling that White's guys had super-sized the dosage. Already weakened by blood loss, it was possible that her body wasn't able to metabolise the drug the way it should.

_Come on, Jessie. Wake up_, he thought desperately, willing it to happen. Yet nothing changed. Alec let out a groan of frustration and slammed his elbow uselessly against the metal bars.

His leg was throbbing terribly. They'd performed some rudimentary first aid – enough to make sure he stayed alive for a while. The bullet had gone clean through and the bandages were thoroughly soaked. Blood was slowly but steadily dripping from his leg onto the floor.

Escape wasn't an option. Even if he wasn't injured, he couldn't and wouldn't leave Jess behind.

_Max, look at the clock and realize we're late. We should have been back at TC by now_. He let his head loll back against the bars and exhaled.

_Come on, Maxie_… _Save my ass_.

**Sector Seven, Terminal City Infirmary, 5:45pm**

While Max had been happy for Rand and Brax to round up as many volunteers as they could, there was one person she had insisted on asking personally. She parked her Ninja close to the entrance and took a deep breath. She wasn't anticipating a warm welcome.

She walked through the corridors, quickly greeting those she passed, and finally reached her destination.

"Ember?"

The redhead looked up and her smile faded slightly as she realized who was standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" Ember asked, not quite disguising the hostility in her voice. Jett moved his head slightly to look at her and only then did Max realize that he was awake. She smiled down at him.

"Hey. Nice of you to join us," she teased.

"Max." Ember wasn't about to be put off. "What do you want?"

"I need your help. Alec's in trouble."

For a moment, Ember just stared at Max in disbelief.

"Wait a minute. You threw a fit when I went after Cain but now you want my help?"

"It's not for me. It's for Alec," Max insisted. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said to you before but don't punish Alec because you're pissed at me."

Jett squeezed Ember's hand and she looked down at him. Their eyes met and Max could have sworn an entire conversation was taking place right in front of her. Ember pursed her lips and finally looked back at Max.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

"We think White's cult got a hold of Alec and Jess," Max informed them. "We're going after them."

Jett nodded up at Ember, his dark eyes imploring her. Alec was his friend. Jett didn't want him to end up in the infirmary as well.

"I don't like leaving you here alone," Ember told him. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. Max understood what he way saying that time around.

_As if I'm gonna get five minutes peace in here anyway_. His lips twitched slightly. _Go on_.

Max had never really paid any attention to Jett. He was quiet and unassuming but she suddenly caught a glimpse of what Alec and Ember saw in him. He'd been brutalized, tortured beyond anything Max could conceive of and his concern was all for his friend. The redhead bent and pressed a gentle kiss to Jett's forehead.

Then she looked up at Max.

"I'm in."

**Sector Seven, Terminal City Headquarters, 6pm**

Max pulled up in front of Headquarters and Ember quickly jumped off the back, pushing her windblown hair away from her face.

"How many people have you got?" the redhead asked as Max joined her and they walked inside.

"Don't know," Max confessed. "We're about to find out." The brunette pushed the doors open and both women stopped dead, staring around them in gratified surprise.

The Command Centre was filled with about two dozen transgenics and transhumans. Max recognized Dash, Quinn, Fox, Cody… Even Tucker, who was walking rather awkwardly after having his…er…ego bruised earlier that night, had turned up.

Ember tapped Max on the shoulder and pointed out the two ringleaders. Brax's spiky dark hair and Rand's lighter chestnut locks were clearly visible on the other side of the room. In silent agreement, the girls moved across the room to intercept the two X5 males.

"How did you guys get so many people in half an hour with all the systems down?" Max asked, her eyes flicking from Brax to Rand and back again.

"Word travels fast, Max," Rand explained. "Alec's one of us. We don't leave our people to rot in White's little circle of Hell."

"You didn't draft them?" Ember asked carefully.

"We didn't have to," Brax told her. "Every last one put their hands up."

"You wanna say a few words?" Rand asked Max, a slight smile on his handsome face.

"Damn right I do," Max replied, striding purposefully up the stairs so she was standing in plain view.

"Okay, people, listen up!" Max called out. The room immediately fell silent as everyone turned towards her, watching her expectantly. "We're still chasing a couple of leads on Alec but you should all know what you're volunteering for. White's cult has been escalating the situation. If they have Alec and Jess, we're gonna have a nasty fight on our hands. If anyone doesn't want that kind of heat, now's the time to leave."

Not one freak moved a muscle and a surge of pride swept over her.

"Thank you," Max said, her dark eyes sweeping over the crowd. "We'll let you know when we have confirmation."

Finally she looked over at Rand and Brax, who were standing on either side of Ember, her red-gold hair glowing like a beacon in the harsh fluorescent lighting. Both men gave her nods of approval while Ember simply smiled.

Max took a deep breath and sighed.

_Hold on, Alec. We're coming to get you_.

**Sector Nine, 6pm**

Alec heard the door at the end of the metal boardwalk unlock and immediately looked over to watch it open. The first man to walk in Alec recognized from the motel – the man who'd shot him. A pair of officers followed him in, watching the transgenic prisoners with cold eyes.

Then another man moved into his line of sight and Alec clenched his teeth.

_That's all I need_.

"Well, well, 494. I thought brunettes were more to your taste," Ames White remarked as he walked straight past Alec and approached the unconscious female.

"I could never decide on a favourite flavour," Alec drawled.

White walked up to Jess, his eyes moving over her in a manner that made Alec bristle.

"This must be 767," he said calmly, his hands folded neatly in front of him.

"Why'd you bring her here?" Alec asked as casually as he could. Alec didn't like the way the Familiar was looking at Jess – like she was a piece of meat he wanted to cut into. "She's not worth anything to you."

"Now that is where you're wrong, 494," Ames replied as he finally turned to face the male transgenic. "She's insurance – collateral to make sure you co-operate."

"What makes you think I care?" Alec replied with a smirk, managing to sound cavalier.

"A rather charming phone call I listened to earlier today," White replied. "I believed she referred to you as her baby brother."

Alec glanced over at Jess, who was still blissfully unaware of what was going on around her, and his smirk died. He knew that White wouldn't hesitate to hurt her and a shiver of fear ran down his spine.

"I wasn't aware that your kind had any concept of family," Ames continued, his tone as cool as ever.

_You cold-blooded son-of-a-bitch_… Alec wanted to kill him. Right then and there, consequences be damned.

White sauntered over to Alec's cage and gazed down at him, looking rather smug. He reached into his left jacket pocket and pulled out a tranquilizer dart identical to the one Alec had seen on the motel room floor.

"This is sodium thiopental," White explained as he twirled the dart absently between his fingers. "She's already had several times the maximum safe dosage – more than enough to take down an elephant."

Alec immediately recognised the drug. It was a heavy-duty sedative. Manticore had used it on more than one occasion.

Then White withdrew a needle from his right jacket pocket. This was filled with a pale green liquid.

"This, on the other hand, is a muscle relaxant. If I inject her with this, her heart and lungs will stop functioning. I guarantee you she will never wake up," White informed him.

Alec struggled to keep his expression neutral as that sunk in.

"Get to the point," Alec told him angrily.

"I would have thought that was obvious." White almost sounded disappointed. "I want 452."

Alec stopped breathing as he realized what White was implying.

"Give me 452 or I kill 767."


	29. Choices

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N:** Wow! The response to the last chapter was phenomenal! Thanks so much, guys!

**Thanks to:**

**girlofcherrys**

**jelly snake**

**darkangelgirl262**

**lakergirl08**

**jewels**

**X5898**

**Alana84**

**a reader**

**calistra**

**Aleja21**

**Lyndsay**

**Amelya**

**Doza**

**Nina430**

**Ro**

**Chapter 29: Choices**

**Sector Nine, 6:05pm**

Alec took a deep breath to reign in his temper.

_Play for time_, he thought sternly. _There's always a third option_.

"Feel free to walk up to the Terminal City gates and knock," Alec replied glibly. "I'll even teach you the secret handshake."

"I'm not in the mood for your games, 494," White warned.

"If I give you Max, you'll just kill all three of us." Alec challenged White to deny it but they both knew the Familiar wasn't the type to play coy.

"Am I to understand that you're prepared to give up your sister?" White asked, regarding Alec curiously.

_No!_ Alec raged inwardly.

"I'm not exactly on Max's Christmas list right now," Alec said coolly. "She might not show."

"Better," White said smugly, pocketing the needle once again. "Obviously I can't send you out to get her in your current condition. So you need to be convincing."

The Familiar who'd shot Alec stepped forward with a cell phone in his hand and passed it to White.

"I'm sure I don't need to warn you that if you reveal your location or my presence, your 'sister' may suddenly develop some breathing problems."

_Get within arm's length and I'll give you breathing problems_, Alec thought angrily.

"Give me the damn phone," Alec growled. With rather amusing caution given his injury, one of the cops stepped forward and unlocked the door to the cage. White simply tossed the phone through the door and Alec deftly caught it.

Glaring daggers to White, Alec quickly dialled Rand's number. He and Brax weren't likely to be far from Headquarters considering the current situation.

"_Rand here_."

"Rand, is Max there with you?"

"_Wait, pal, are you_ -?"

"Rand, please. Just get Max for me, okay?" Alec heard Rand sigh in defeat and after a few moments he could detect Max's voice in the background.

"_Max, it's Alec on the line_," Rand informed her. The sound of the phone being passed over wasn't the relief it should have been.

"_Alec_?"

"Hey Max."

"_Alec, where the hell are you?_"

"I decided to stop off and visit an old friend from Jam Pony," Alec lied smoothly, hoping she'd read between the lines. "We were in the neighbourhood."

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line.

"_So are you planning on coming back to TC any time soon? Joshua's getting worried_."

"I'm kinda tied up at the moment. Jess had to crash. She's sleeping it off."

"_So you're stuck there_?"

"Yeah but it's okay. There's plenty to keep me entertained. Sketchy and Cindy are all over each other as usual. Are you still coming over to help them move their stuff tomorrow night?"

"_I'm bringing a hose or we'll get a floor show_."

Alec chuckled. "I know it's short notice but do you think you can tear yourself away and pay us a visit?"

"_I'll talk to Brax and Rand, see if they can cover for me for a couple of hours_," Max said thoughtfully_. "Are they still finishing at seven over there_?"

"Yeah, could you meet us out back after closing? I know Normal would love to see you."

_"I'll see if I can swing it_," Max replied. "_Just behave yourself, okay_?"

"I'll try," Alec assured her. "See you then."

"_Bye_."

Alec disconnected the call and deleted Rand's number from the phone's memory. It was a small thing but he saw the flash of impatience on White's face and defiantly met his stare. Never mind that the Familiar had the upper hand at that moment.

Max had understood what he'd been telling her. She had many faults but once she made up her mind, there wasn't a man or freak on Earth that could sway her. For once, that determination was going to work in his favour.

White was going to get a nasty surprise and Alec couldn't wait.

**Sector Seven, Terminal City Headquarters, 6:08pm**

"Okay, people, we're in business," Max announced.

"Max, what the hell is going on?" Rand asked, anxious for his friend. "Is he all right?"

"White has them," she said simply. ""We're going in."

"Care to explain how?" Brax asked.

"Alec gave us what we need. Seven o'clock at Jam Pony. I'm the bait."

"Max, I don't think that's such a good idea," Rand cautioned. By his side, Ember added her agreement.

"You guys can track me to where they're holding Alec and Jess. Got any better suggestions?"

"Sadly no," Brax conceded. "With our systems down, we're short on options."

"From what Alec said, he's down and Jess is out of action," Max told them, "so this is retrieval only. We don't engage unless there's no other choice."

"Which means guns all around," Rand told her. "White's not gonna let you go easily."

"Don't remind me," Max replied, looking anything but pleased at the thought.

"We'll get the volunteers prepped," Rand offered and strode away with Ember, leaving Max and Brax to work out the finer details.

"I want Mole in on this," Max told him. Brax raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And how do you expect us to pry him away from Gem?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Tell him the truth – that we're going after the bastards who put Gem in the hospital. He can meet us there."

"I'll send Abe to relieve him. Shaine's probably sick of listening to Mole rant by now anyway."

"Get it done."

**Sector Nine, 6:30pm**

Jess came back to the conscious world slowly, aware only of feeling strangely disembodied. All her limbs seemed leaden. She had no idea how long she simply drifted in and out, unable to move.

The first thing to penetrate the haze in her mind was her shoulder – it felt like it was on fire.

"Jessie?" Alec saw her stir and immediately shifted to get a better look at her, ignoring the pain in his leg. "Jessie, answer me."

She finally opened her eyes but her movements were slow, sluggish. Taking advantage of his telescopic vision, Alec 'zoomed in' on her. Her eyes were glassy, dazed, and she seemed disoriented.

"Jessie, look at me," he told her firmly. Even half-conscious, she responded to his voice and with an effort she rolled onto her back, wincing as she did so. Alec raised his hand. "Jessie, how many fingers am I holding up?"

She finally looked at him, blinking blearily as she tried to focus on him.

"Jessie, how many fingers?" he repeated patiently.

"Too many," she groaned.

Alec glanced at the two digits he was holding up and let his arm fall to his side.

"I don't feel so hot," she croaked, rolling awkwardly onto her right side. She dragged herself over to the corner of the cage and promptly threw up the meagre contents of her stomach.

Alec had felt the effects of massive tranquilizer doses after the Berrisford mission. All he could do was sympathise and wait until the dry heaves subsided.

She finally rolled onto her back again. Lying spread-eagle on the floor of the cage, she started taking long, slow breaths to try to clear her head.

"Feel better?" he asked gently.

"What the hell did they hit me with?" she rasped as the room began spinning again and her stomach churned in response.

"Sodium thiopental," Alec replied. "Enough to drop a rhino."

"No wonder I feel like shit," she groused. "God, I hate snipers."

"You've been tranked before?" he asked curiously, hoping that if she kept talking it would help her concentrate. She shook her head.

"I was shot in the back," she grumbled.

The image Alec's mind conjured up wasn't pretty and he swallowed hard.

"What happened?" he prompted her.

"A mission went sideways," she told him, grimacing as another wave of nausea washed over her. "One of my lungs collapsed and I ended up choking on my own blood. It wasn't exactly a career highlight."

Alec absorbed that and continued.

"When?"

"2018," she replied impatiently. She was vulnerable and she hated it. "Can we talk about something else? When can we expect the cavalry?"

They were undoubtedly being monitored so Alec gave her the only response he could.

"We can't," Alec informed her, meeting her glazed eyes. After a moment the corner of her mouth lifted slightly. The word hung, unspoken, between them.

_Liar_.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"For what?" he asked, genuinely surprised by her words.

"For getting you into this," she replied. "I never meant to screw you over."

"It's not your fault," he told her.

"We both know that's a lie," she said, a hint of humour in her tone. "From now on I'm staying out of other people's business."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Those thugs outside Crash – they came after me because I took down two of their goons the night before."

"Did they try something?"

"Not on me," Jess confessed.

"You couldn't have known how it was gonna play out."

"Trust me. After Quantico I should have known better."


	30. Sneak and Creep

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N: **Thanks for all the awesome reviews, guys! Keep 'em coming! For everyone who asked, Quantico is a military base in Arizona. According to the Eyes Only Dossier, the X5R platoon was sent there to operate under the command of Major Stendahl as part of the Phoenix Project. Alec and Jace were kept at the Seattle base for further disciplinary training.

**Chapter 30: Sneak and Creep**

**Sector Nine, Police Station, 6:30pm**

Ramon Clemente was just about to walk out the door, his shift finished, when the phone at his desk rang. With a sigh, he turned around and strode over to pick up the receiver.

"Detective Clemente."

"_It's Max. We need to talk_."

"Should I sit down for this?"

"_Up to you. I'm just giving you the heads up. We're running an op in Sector Nine and we can't risk police interference."_

"I'm listening."

"_Remember our dear friend Agent White?"_

"Unfortunately yes," Clemente replied.

"_He's back and he's taken two of our people hostage. We're gonna extract them but it might get messy_."

"How messy?"

"_Depends on how much firepower White's packing_," Max told him. "_I really need you to trust me here_."

"You know I trust you, Max," Clemente replied. "But you also know White is a government agent. You can't go after him without bringing down some serious heat on your kind."

"_Same could be said of White's little club_," Max said. "_You don't hold us to ransom and expect us to stand there and take it_."

"Max, we're agreed that White's a bad guy but I told you – I can't protect you. This is bigger than the Seattle PD."

"_I know_," Max assured him. "_Look, if I had it my way we'd be in and out with no-one the wiser but White's guys have a pretty bad habit of shooting at me and mine_."

"I thought you preferred peaceful solutions," Clemente pointed out.

"_I do_," Max confirmed. "_But that's not an option right now. You know what's happening at TC. We're not going to be able to talk the military down a second time_."

"When is all this going down?" he asked, resigned to the fact that he couldn't talk her out of it.

"_Initial contact is in half an hour_," Max informed him.

"You said your people are hostages. What's the ransom?"

"_Me_."

"You? I know you're the leader over there but I would have thought White was more ambitious than that."

"_I can't explain right now but I need to know - have you got our backs?_"

"I've got your backs," Clemente assured her.

"_Thank you. I'll call back when it's done_."

"You owe me an explanation."

"_And a drink. You'll get both when it's over. I promise_."

"Okay. I'll do what I can."

**Sector Nine, Across the Street From Jam Pony Xpress, 6:50pm**

"So when do we take the son-of-a-bitch out?"

Brax spun around to find Mole approaching as agreed, his ever-present shotgun slung across his shoulder. The lizard-man looked a bit rough around the edges, like most of their kind.

"White's guys are expecting Max in ten minutes," Brax informed him, turning back to gaze down at the street below. He and Rand had split the volunteers into two units, now spread across a three block radius. His platoon had manned the rooftops, observing proceedings from a height.

Ember was in position, waiting in the old South African van with Dix and Luke in the back, ready to follow White's transports. They were monitoring communications on a secure channel. When the question of how to effectively track Max had come up, she'd been quick to point out the 'creepy metal insect' still stuck in her head. Using the Red technology, they could follow her easily.

Rand's group was on the ground, on their motorcycles and in the SWAT vans they'd stolen from the Jam Pony siege, awaiting the order to follow and converge. They had the element of surprise on their side. They were all accustomed to holding their positions. Not one of them would ever thank Manticore for the lessons they'd learned, but they remembered, and the knowledge was proving invaluable.

"How many?" Mole asked.

"Two dozen," Brax replied. "You're with me. Until we know the location, this is strictly recon." He looked pointedly at the shotgun Mole was toting and looked the DAC in the eyes. "When we have confirmation from Rand, we go in on my order. If you fire without authorization, I'll take you down myself."

"Is that right?" Mole asked blandly, advancing on the X5. Brax didn't give an inch.

"That's right. You take orders or you leave now and stay the hell out of it. Clear?"

The lizard-man and the X5 faced each other for a long moment. Mole had several inches of height on Brax, who was easily six feet tall. Yet the transhuman slowly nodded, deferring to the human-looking transgenic. The X5s had been designed as officers and Brax had been a unit leader. He hadn't attained that status because of his good looks.

"Clear," Mole replied. Brax nodded.

"Good. I'd rather have you with us."

"And I'd rather be there," Mole told him honestly. "Let's get this party started."

"We're just waiting on the guest of honour," Brax agreed.

"How'd you convince Max to dangle herself on a hook?" Mole asked.

"We didn't. This whole thing is her idea. She got the call from Alec and ran with it."

"Are we sure the pretty boy's still alive?" Mole asked. "White could have killed them after he made the call."

"I know," Brax replied, "but I'm not gonna wait to find out."

"This blonde you've been chasin' – is she really our boy's little sister?"

"That's what I hear. She got Alec tied up in knots even before Max lost it."

"Seems like I missed all the fun," Mole observed as he lit up a cigar.

"How's Gem?" Brax asked.

"Stable," Mole said gravely. "Doc Woods says she's gonna make it."

"That's good news, man."

"She's gonna be unconscious for a while. Figured it couldn't hurt to light a fire under White's ass."

"As long as you don't fire _on_ White's ass without permission, it's all good."

**Sector Nine, Outside Jam Pony Xpress, 7pm**

Max turned her Ninja into the street that housed the back entrance to Jam Pony, all her senses on high alert, her eyes already adjusted to the fading light. The dull roar of the engines was a welcome balm, something familiar amidst the chaos.

Max had done some questionable things but she'd always tried to play it smart. As Alec had once said, they weren't designed to be chumps. Yet somehow Max found herself riding into a trap of her own free will.

_The sacrificial lamb, that's me_, Max thought ruefully, _and White's holding the axe_.

Her imagination provided an all-too-clear picture of Alec in Ames White's hands.

_Stop it!_ she chastised herself. _Alec would never go down without a fight. It just isn't in him._

Despite her determination, Alec's face - complete with his trademark smirk - flashed through her mind and she stifled a smile. She hit the brakes and brought her motorcycle to halt just outside the old graffiti-covered building. Swinging her leg over, she took a deep breath.

_So now we meet the big bad wolf_…

"Hey, Max!" the messengers greeted her with smiles and waves as they left the building en masse.

"Hey, Sky, is Alec inside?" she asked, playing the part of the ignorant prey.

"Alec? No, he hasn't been here since just after lunch," Sky replied with a shrug.

"Thanks," Max said, a puzzled frown marring her features. She slipped inside and looked around. The last few workers walked past her, thrilled to be finished for the day.

"Alec?" Max called out, walking towards the lockers. "Anyone here?" She chewed her lower lip. "Hello?"

With an impatient huff, Max strode towards the men's bathroom and poked her head in. Outside she heard the hum of approaching engines and she decided to keep up the act.

"Alec, now isn't the time for practical jokes. I'm not in the mood," she warned. With her hands on her hips, she walked back to the middle of the room. Her finger tapped her jeans a couple of times and her eyes narrowed. "OC? Sketchy?" She spun around one last time as she heard the cars slow to a stop and the engines switch to idle. "Normal?"

There was no response, as she knew there wouldn't be.

"Alec, when I get my hands on you, your ass is toast," she muttered, striding towards the door. She got two steps outside and stopped dead in her tracks, dropping instantly into a combat stance. She was surrounded by at least ten agents, their pistols drawn and aimed at her chest.

"Hello again, 452."

Max's dark eyes snapped over to the source of the greeting and sure enough Ames White stepped into her line of sight. Her expression hardened.

"Just what I need," she snarked irritably. "Rodents."

"I told you this wasn't finished," he reminded her.

_Come on, don't stand there and gloat. Take me into custody already_.

"How'd you know where I was?" she asked angrily.

"Oh, your breeding partner was very helpful," White said smugly. "You can thank him for setting up this little meeting."

"What?" Max snapped heatedly, shaking her head. "No way. Alec would never –"

"It was 494 on the phone asking you to come here, wasn't it?" White pointed out. He signalled to his men. "Take her. Make sure she's secure before you put her in the car."

White turned his back on her, confident that his men would overpower the X5 female. The sounds of the ensuing scuffle made him smile as he calmly got back into his vehicle.

"Back to base," he ordered the driver crisply. "Now."

**Sector Nine, Across The Street From Jam Pony Xpress, 7:05pm**

"Ember, have you got her?" Brax asked, speaking into the radio receiver he had with him.

"_Yeah, the signal's coming in loud and clear_," the redhead reported. "_We'll give it a minute and follow. We don't want them to know we're tailing them_."

"Good. Rand?"

"_We're moving out now. See you when we've got a definitive location_."

"All right. Let's go."

"About damn time," Mole grumbled.


	31. Check Mate

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**Thanks to:**

**calistra**

**Doza**

**a reader**

**ChaiGrl**

**Rose**

**7sTar**

**X5898**

**lakergirl08**

**Amelya –** Logan is tied to a chair somewhere in Sector Three. See Chapter 20: Doubles.

**darkangelgirl262**

**shyne – **Yeah, I've been pretty tough on Max but I think she's the kind of character who needs to see herself at her very worst every once in a while. There'll be a lot more Max development from here on in.

**Lyndsay**

**Alana84**

**Chapter 31: Check Mate**

**Sector Nine, 7:10pm**

"You still seeing double?" Alec asked, turning to look at his fellow prisoner.

"Better than the blur I was seeing before," Jess told him. She'd managed to sit up and now had her back to the boardwalk so she didn't have to crane her neck to look at him. "By the way, neither of you are looking so hot."

"Figures that I'd have a chance to look twice as good and blow it," he joked wearily.

"Exsanguination's not exactly a glamorous business."

"Now I know you're gonna be all right if you're using words like 'exsanguination'."

"I'm more worried about you right now," she told him, glancing down at his leg. Her blue-green eyes were still slightly unfocused but she was doing her best to compensate.

"I'm all right," he said, hoping to sound confident instead of drained.

"Bullshit," she said firmly. "My vision's not _that_ bad. You're gonna pass out."

"I'm not gonna pass out," he argued. "I'm fine."

"When are you gonna learn that I don't buy that 'I'm-always-all-right' crap?" Jess asked impatiently.

"Force of habit," he told her with a weak smile. "You know me too well."

"Damn right," she sniffed. "Someone's gotta watch your back."

"I'm not ten years old any more, Jessie."

"Neither am I but we still got ourselves into this mess, didn't we? Proof positive we're not as bad-ass as we think we are."

That made him chuckle. "Circumstances aside," Alec told her sincerely, "I'm glad you're here."

Jess's lips curved into a tender smile. "They're using me to make sure you co-operate, aren't they?"

"Why do you ask?" Alec replied, his voice somewhat devoid of its usual energy. It was quite ironic that he and Jess were slowly reversing roles.

"I'm not worth a damn to these people… unless they know I'm worth a damn to you. Come clean, Al. What'd they want you to do?"

Alec sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "They wanted me to give up Max."

"Max?" Jess asked in surprise. "Sam's twin?"

"That's the one."

"Why?" Jess asked simply. "Because she's the leader over there? By the way, I'll never understand how that happened."

"Don't worry. I don't think she really knows how it happened either," Alec replied with a tired grin. He was silent for a moment. "Max is special."

A trace of amusement crept into Jess's expression. "Is that so?" she asked teasingly. He gave her a quelling look.

"I mean her DNA is special," he informed her, refusing to rise to the bait.

"Mm-hmm," was her only reply but she was sporting a tiny smile that told him she didn't believe him.

"Don't, Jessie," he told her sternly.

"I didn't say anything," she replied, all wide-eyed innocence.

"I know what you're thinking," he countered.

"Whatever you say. She's only beautiful and strong and transgenic," Jess offered with a slight shrug. "Nothing to be attracted to there."

"She's also taken," Alec pointed out. "Max and I are friends."

"If you're talking about that self-righteous excuse for a hacker, I wouldn't worry," Jess said disparagingly. "They'll never last."

"You haven't even met them," Alec felt obliged to remind her.

"I've met the great and powerful Eyes Only, baby brother," she told him. "Trust me. If she doesn't leave he'll drive her away."

"What makes you say that?" Alec asked curiously.

"Crusader for the downtrodden, right? Riding in on his high horse to change the world for the better? If that's not a Robin Hood complex, I don't know what is. His job is his life. How am I doing so far?"

"Pretty good, actually," Alec admitted. It'd been so long since he'd worked with her that he'd almost forgotten how skilled she was at this kind of thing.

"So he meets a pretty X5 and shacks up with her," Jess continued. "I'm guessing this probably meant a lot of posturing and secret missions before they actually got anywhere. He makes use of her talents and being around an ordinary who knows all her dirty little secrets makes her feel a bit more human in the process."

"How do you do that?" Alec asked, a hint of admiration in his tone.

"The same way you do," she replied, as if it were obvious. "The difference is that I've made a career of exploiting those kind of weaknesses."

"I read your file," Alec told her.

"Great. Hope it was colourful enough for you," Jess said blandly.

"Can I ask you something out of left field?"

"I guess," she shrugged.

"Why do you like the Wizard of Oz?"

She met his wondering gaze and took a deep breath before answering.

"My first long-term undercover job was the German UN representative. Stendahl couldn't risk an outright assassination so I was his first choice. Intelligence suggested that I should work on his aide, a guy called Kruger. He had a little boy and every night the kid would ask his father to read the Wizard of Oz. He really loved that book. He used to carry it around with him everywhere and show it off to everyone."

"What happened?" Alec prompted gently.

"Kruger flipped out and killed his boss like he was supposed to. It wasn't until after that I found out he'd killed his wife and son as well before killing himself. Stendahl thought it was great. He actually congratulated me on it because no-one suspected Phoenix was involved."

"I'm sorry," Alec told her.

"Don't be," she replied with a shrug. "It doesn't matter anyway. It was a long time ago."

"What was the little boy's name?" Alec asked, his eyes fixed on her strangely expressionless face.

"Josef."

**Sector Nine, 7:25pm**

Max was dragged out of the vehicle in much the same way that her predecessors had been – blindfolded and handcuffed. She clenched her teeth angrily as she concentrated on keeping her balance. She felt like an animal on a leash, which was no doubt White's intention. He seemed to get off on treating his transgenic captives as if they were sub-human.

She heard a metal door slide open, the sound echoing into what must have been an old factory or something. The stench of blood reached her nose as she was shoved inside, intermingled with another scent she knew all too well.

Alec.

Max swallowed hard, not wanting to think about what those two smells could mean. Then the blindfold was torn away and Max found herself in a large, open warehouse with White standing before her. On the floor a few feet in front of her was an alarmingly large pool of dark red liquid… which was growing as more dripped from above.

"Max."

At the sound of her name, she looked up and found the man she'd gone to all this trouble for. Suspended in a cage, his leg bleeding badly, his skin an alarming shade of grey, Alec was gazing down at her with bloodshot hazel eyes.

"How sweet," White drawled mockingly.

"You son-of-a-bitch," Max growled up at Alec, hoping he'd play along.

"It was you or her," he said simply, glancing over at the other cage, this one with a young woman sitting inside. The blonde shifted to get a closer look and Max got her first glimpse of the girl Alec had risked everything for.

For a moment, Max could have sworn she was looking at the child she'd known. She was beautiful, as Max had always imaginedher sisterwould have been. She had Eva's eyes, Eva's mouth…

White turned to Agent Gottlieb, who'd stepped up to his side. "Call the facility. Get everything prepped. I want to move her within the hour."

"Yes, sir," Otto replied.

"Secure 452 and kill the others," White said, looking up at his two caged prisoners. Max and Alec locked eyes once more. Their time had just run out and they both knew it. Alec rolled to the other side of the cage.

_Come on, Brax_, Max thought as the guards on the boardwalk walked towards Jess's cage.

"Jessie…" Alec whispered anxiously.

The blonde transgenic slowly got up onto her knees. She looked over at Alec, who was grasping the metal hard enough to bend it. She smiled slightly, more to reassure him than because the situation warranted it. That was the moment when Max recognized the key difference - it had been Zack and Zane that Eva looked at with implicit trust, not Alec.

She wasn't Eva.

_Jess. Her name is Jess_.

The girl in question looked up at the men who came to stand single file in front of her cage like a firing squad. She pulled herself up onto her feet, glaring up at them defiantly as they levelled their weapons at her. She tossed her mass of creamy hair away from her face and squared her shoulders.

"What's the matter, boys? Never shot a POW before?" she taunted her would-be executioners. To their credit, her words seemed to make them hesitate for a moment.

"Hey Ames."

Max had never been so glad to hear Rand's voice. She immediately jumped, bringing her knees up to her chest so she could pass the handcuffs beneath her feet. She landed with trademark transgenic grace even as her guards drew their weapons and surrounded her. Settling into a combat stance as best she could with her wrists bound, Max simply waited.

White spun around, eyes widening with sudden fury, to find Rand and two other transgenics standing in the doorway, pistols aimed directly at his head.

Rand just grinned over the unconscious officers at his feet as White heard the unmistakable sound of a shotgun being cocked behind him.

"Made you look."


	32. Down To The Wire

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**A/N: **Thanks for all you fantastic reviews, guys! For any reviewers who've registered, I've replied to you using the new system. Since we've been warned yet again that we're not supposed to reply to reviewers in the story, if any un-registered reviewers could leave their e-mail address in future, I'll reply to you that way.

Hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry it took me so long to update.

**Thanks to:**

**kim**

**Rose - **I always wanted to make sure Jess' identity would be a surprise - thus Eva's clone. I was hoping no-one would expect that angle. : )

**7star**

**lakergirl08**

**Chapter 32: Down To The Wire**

**Sector Nine, 7:30pm**

White cautiously looked back over his shoulder and found Mole standing about ten feet away, a pump-action shotgun aimed dead-centre at his head.He turned his stone-cold glare on Max.

"Is this it?" he asked contemptuously. "Three transgenics and whatever that is?" He sneered in Mole's direction and the lizard-man bristled angrily.

"Did he just call me a 'that'?" Mole asked Max.

"Yep," Max replied lightly.

"Now that just hurts."

Max raised her hands as Mole swung his rifle towards her and fired over her head. The bullet tore through the chain on the handcuffs, freeing her arms. At the same moment Max rounded on her guards, Mole pumped the shotgun and fired on White, who was one step ahead of the DAC unit. Shot after shot thundered through the warehouse as White was forced to run for cover.

White's men didn't react as fast as the transgenics. Rand and his unit poured into the building, laying down cover fire as they forced the agents to cede as much ground as possible, clearing the area beneath the cages.

Max was spinning and striking, using all her long-despised training to subdue the guards surrounding her. For over a decade she'd tried to forget everything Manticore had taught her yet now she embraced the skills, the instincts. They were the only thing that could help her save Alec's life.

Five ropes dropped into Alec's peripheral vision and he looked up to find Brax and four others climbing down silently until they were hanging at least ten feet above the boardwalk. The guards who would have killed Jess were firing on the transgenics below, oblivious to the danger descending from the roof.

They dropped simultaneously, each taking a soldier down as they landed. The transgenics commandeered their weapons and became snipers, covering the prisoners and Brax.

"What the hell took you so long?" Alec demanded.

"Sorry, pal. The traffic was a nightmare," Brax replied. He seized the remote control from one of the fallen officers. "Heads up!" Brax called out as he punched the button.

Alec realized what was going to happen and lunged for the side of the cage, grabbing hold of the bars as the floor of the cage swung open from underneath him. Jess didn't have the benefit of his experience – she plummeted, landing in a crouch and rolling off to the side to absorb the impact.

"Brax!" Alec snapped angrily as he dangled helplessly in mid-air.

"Alec, drop, damn it!" Brax shouted.

"He can't! His leg won't take it!" Jess shot back as she ducked, avoiding the bullets flying all over the place. Realizing how exposed they were, Brax tossed down a pistol and a spare clip. Jess managed to focus long enough to catch them, shoving the clip into her back pocket.

"Rand, keep it clear!" Brax commanded. "Mole!"

"Hold on, pretty boy," Mole called out as he came to stand underneath Alec, ignoring the blood beneath his shoes as Rand's unit drew the enemy's fire. "Come on, princess. I'll catch you," Mole assured him with something of a smirk. Jess stared up at him for a moment, taken aback by his unusual appearance.

_I'm never gonna live this down_, Alec thought wryly as he let himself fall into Mole's waiting arms. "My hero," he muttered as Mole swung him down into the floor and lent him an arm to support his weight. Jess immediately took his other side and the three of them raced for cover. Max joined them there, leaping across the barrier like a cat.

As soon as they were all behind a half-decent shield, Max cuffed Alec across the back of the head. "That's for getting caught by White!" she admonished him. Behind her, Jess's eyes narrowed angrily and her mouth set in a grim line. Seeing the fierce expression on her face, Alec shook his head at her. Acquiescing to his unspoken request, Jess shoved the pistol into Max's hand instead.

"I don't do guns," Max said quickly with a shake of her head, passing it back to the blonde.

"What, are you Miss July '89?" Jess hissed as she cocked the pistol.

"I thought you had double vision!" Alec protested as Mole reloaded his shotgun.

"Then my odds are fifty-fifty," Jess said, ignoring his objections as she looked at Max. "How are you at hand-to-hand?"

"I can hold my own," Max told her.

"Good. Kick that bastard's ass, huh?" Following Jess's line of sight, Max saw Ames White and his agents exchanging fire with Rand's unit. It was pretty obvious that Rand was playing, buying them the time they needed to extract Alec and Jess.

"Read my mind," Max replied, then looked Jess squarely in the eyes. "No killing."

"Deal," Jess agreed. "Go."

Max slipped out into the confusion, unnoticed, and circled around behind White and his agents. She heard the thunderous echo of Mole's shotgun as he began firing again. She saw White run out of ammunition and reach for a spare clip. She wasn't going to get a better opportunity.

Max sprang at him, using her weight to drive him backwards as she delivered her first punch, breaking his nose on impact. White didn't even feel it. He slammed both hands into her stomach. Winded, Max was forced to take a step back and White took full advantage. He drove his fist into the left side of her face and a spin kick caught her across the neck. Max was driven to her knees and her temper snapped.

"Well, well," he said smugly. "If it isn't 452."

_Fuck this_, she thought angrily.

White moved in for another blow and Max threw herself sideways to land on her back, kicking out to catch him in the ribs and hear a satisfying crunch. The mere second it took for him to recover was more than Max needed to jump to her feet. She blocked his next strike, catching his right wrist and lashing out with her left to hit him in the throat with her hand and then his face with her elbow. He staggered, stunned by the speed of her counter-attack.

_I'm faster than he is_, she realized, immediately beginning to blur. _Screw pain. I'll take speed_ _any day_.

"That's for Annie!" she snapped as she ducked under his next punch and her knee connected with his stomach. "Biggs!" She delivered a punch to his ear. "And CeCe!"

She launched herself into a one-handed backflip, kicking out to catch him in the jaw. She heard the bones crack on impact, and completed the move only to drop into a spin and sweep his feet out from under him. "That's for Gem!"

"Max, we've gotta go!" Rand called out but Max wasn't listening.

White got to his knees as Max's boot slammed into his jaw and he sprawled back onto the floor, spitting out a mouthful of blood. She stood over him and ground her heel into his throat. "And that's for Alec," she said coldly.

"Max!" Rand shouted again. Everyone had ceased firing. She and White had been the last ones fighting. The transgenics had won.

"Stay away from me and mine. Last warning," Max told him, turning on her heel to follow the others. One final shot rang out, the bullet passing so close to Max's hip she could feel the air ripple. She spun to see White, who'd struggled up onto his knees, jerk backwards as blood sprayed from his stomach.

"I said no killing!" Max snapped, whirling around to face Jess.

"I didn't hit anything vital. He'll live," Jess replied calmly. "Unfortunately."

Shaking her head with a mixture of anger and relief, Max strode over to Alec and helped him up. He leaned on her and they made their way outside to the waiting vans.

"Okay, guys, mop it up and fall back," Rand called out to his unit, taking his cue from Max.

Jess handed the pistol to Mole before following them. She ran a hand through her long creamy hair and concentrated on breathing. She was shaking and felt like she was going to fall over at any moment. She was just thankful that Alec was finally going to get the medical attention he desperately needed.

_I'm gonna sleep for three days, I swear_, she thought wistfully as she clambered into the van and made her way to the front where Alec was sitting. His skin had gone past gray to translucent and his breathing was shallow.

"Alec. Open your eyes," Jess urged him. Max quietly moved to the back again to give Cody the room she needed to tend to Alec's wound. "Hey, look at me."

"Why? I already know what you look like," he murmured.

"Maybe I just want to see those pretty hazel eyes of yours," she teased. Cody nodded at her, encouraging her. They needed him conscious, at least until the medic had made a quick assessment of his condition.

"Will everyone stop calling me pretty?" he complained.

"Does 'cutie pie' work for you?"

"I'll stick with pretty, thanks," he said blandly. Jess laughed softly.

"Let's go, people," Max announced. The engines fired up and the transgenics began the journey back to base.

Cody finally finished patching Alec up as best she could under the circumstances. He was now sitting quietly, trying not to wince every time they hit a bump. He had his head thrown back against the side of the van, his eyes closed.

Jess sat at his feet, between his legs, her head pillowed on the inside of his uninjured thigh. She too had her eyes closed. Alec's hand was draped over her good shoulder and she'd absently twined her fingers with his. It was such a simple gesture yet extraordinarily telling. The contact was comforting to both of them, reassuring them.

Max watched Alec and Jess in silence. The two wounded transgenics were literally too tired to move or think yet they were still reaching out to each other. It was totally unconscious, something as natural to them as breathing. Max suddenly had to look away as her throat closed inexplicably.

Joshua had been right. Alec loved Jess. Max hadn't wanted to acknowledge it. Alec laughed and joked and charmed an endless stream of women into his bed. He didn't love.

_You know that's not true. He loved Rachel_, a little voice whispered. _He risked everything because he loved her_.

Alec had paid a terrible price for that love but apparently he hadn't learned his lesson. He'd risked everything for Jess – his life, his friendship with Max, his position at Terminal City. Everything.

_He's never going to stop surprising me, is he_? she thought affectionately.

**Sector Seven, Terminal City, 8pm**

When the vans pulled up outside the Infirmary, Max jumped out first only to be wrapped up in a bear hug from Joshua.

"Little Fella okay?" he asked, noticing her rapidly purpling face. She nodded, smiling into his chest.

"Yeah, Big Fella, I'm okay," she replied.

"Find Medium Fella?"

"Yeah, that too," she assured him. "Come on."

He walked up to the van doors to help unload their patients. Mole jumped out and clapped Joshua on the shoulder.

"You all good here?" he asked Max.

"Yeah, you can go back to Harbour Lights whenever you're ready," Max told him.

"Sounds good," Mole replied and swaggered away, his trusty shotgun slung across his shoulder once again. Then it was Jess's turn to alight from the vehicle.

"Whoa…"Jess breathed, staring at the dog-man in blatant surprise. Max frowned slightly, despite knowing Jess probably had no experience with transhumans.

"Whoa?" Joshua echoed, a little disappointed.

"Sorry," she said quickly, smiling faintly at him in apology. "My bad."

"I'll take her, Josh," Rand intervened, helping Jess out of the van.

As Joshua helped Alec out instead, Jess touched Max on the shoulder. The brunette turned to look at the former fugitive, unsure of what reaction to expect.

"Not bad for an 09er," Jess told her with a small nod of approval.

"Thanks," Max replied simply. Rand steered their battered guest towards the waiting medics. She'd only gone a few steps when she stopped and turned back to Max.

"Wait… about Logan," Jess began.

Max's eyes widened in alarm.

_Oh my God, Logan! I forgot about him! How could I forget about him?_ she shrieked at herself.

"He's in the house next door," Jess finished. Max stared at her.

"He's what?" she asked in surprise.

"People always over-complicate abductions," Jess explained tiredly, as if it were a perfectly normal conversation topic. "Hiding in plain sight is usually the best option. He's in the basement."

Max merely nodded, unable to think of anything to say in response.

"I'll handle it, Max," Rand offered. She nodded again as Joshua all but carried Alec into the Infirmary.

_Okay, Max, just breathe_, she told herself as she walked into the transgenic hospital. _You kicked White's ass, we've got Alec back and Logan's gonna be okay. We'll call this a good day_.


	33. Miles To Go

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'em (unless they're originals). Please don't sue me. It's _so_ not worth it.**

**Chapter 35: Miles To Go**

**Sector Seven, Terminal City Infirmary, Two Nights Later**

Brax and Rand paced the waiting room, impatient for Sari to tell them whether Alec was awake or not.

After they'd returned to Terminal City, both Alec and Jess had been treated for a couple of hours before they'd finally been allowed to rest. At least, Alec had been allowed to rest. Jess had been cornered and grilled by a frustrated Dix and Luke, who'd tried in vain all day to reverse the damage the virus had wrought on the command centre's computer systems. After she'd given them the cipher they needed, the two transhumans had finally been able to get Headquarters up and running again.

Rand's job had been rather entertaining in comparison. He'd volunteered to retrieve Logan from captivity in the basement next door to his own home. Jess hadn't even bothered to gag the man, who'd started babbling about the 'anti-personnel mine that psycho blonde put on his lap'. The cyber-journalist had almost fainted when Rand had simply tossed the 'mine' aside like the garbage it was and cut his bonds.

Rand had then been subjected to an interrogation about the current state of affairs and had been tempted to punch his lights out when Logan refused to be left behind. In the end, Rand had compromised and promised that he would have Boyd bring the human to TC once the transgenics had everything under control.

There were times that Rand thought Logan forgot exactly who he was dealing with.

"Okay, guys, he's awake," Sari informed them. "You can go in."

"Thanks," Brax replied. Both Alec and Jess had slept for the better part of thirty hours and no-one, not even Max, had been allowed to disturb them.

As the pair rounded the corner they almost ran headlong into a willowy, battered blonde with her left arm in a sling. Beneath the fading cuts and bruises she was clearly very attractive, a fact not lost on Rand. He quickly summoned his most charming smile, the one that had made him a favourite in bars all over Seattle.

"Sorry about that," he said graciously.

"You guys were at the warehouse," she observed, recognizing them immediately. "I'm Jess," she introduced herself, shaking their hands in greeting.

"I'm Rand, this is Brax," Rand replied, his eyes running over the length of her. Jess met his gaze unwaveringly.

"Cool names. How'd you come up with them?" she asked.

"Mine just kinda popped into my head," Brax explained, then jerked his thumb at his friend, "but he's a randy little devil." The male in question just gave her a saucy wink and Jess let out a ripple of laughter.

"Can you guys tell me where Alec is? I wanted to swing by and see how he's doing."

"Sure, we were just on our way there. He's down the hall, third on the left," Brax told her, pointing her in the right direction.

"Thanks," she replied with a smile as she walked past them. "Are you guys coming?"

"Hell yes," Rand agreed, his gaze fixed on Jess's gently swaying hips. Brax put a restraining hand against his chest.

"We'll be right there," Brax told her. She continued on her way, suppressing a Cheshire-cat grin. "Get a grip, will ya?" Brax muttered to Rand.

"Oh, come on, she is _hot_," Rand said appreciatively.

"She's also Alec's sister. That means no," Brax said firmly.

"She's a big girl, Brax."

"You've got enough blonde problems as it is. Jess is off-limits, brother," Brax impressed on him.

"All right, all right," Rand reluctantly agreed. "Why'd you have to ruin a perfectly good fantasy by bringing _her_ into it?"

"Desperate times…" Brax shrugged as the two males followed Jess's lead. "Come on, Kestrel's not so bad."

"She's a ferret," Rand replied shortly.

"Don't let Shaine hear you call her that or you'll have brunette problems as well," Brax warned.

"I can handle Kestrel and Shaine," Rand assured his friend. Brax just shook his head.

"Your funeral," he replied dryly. Rand gave Brax an irritated glance but didn't pursue the subject further.

They found Jess sitting beside Alec on his bed. Alec's trademark smirk was back with a vengeance. The two males sat down and before long the entire group was swapping war stories.

Almost an hour later, they were still chatting and laughing when there was a knock at the door.

Alec looked up to find Max loitering in the doorway. Despite having a black eye and a dark purple bruise that marred the entire left side of her cheek and neck, she seemed relaxed for the first time in days.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"Sure," he told her, gesturing for her to enter. "Can we have a minute, guys?"

"No problem," Brax agreed immediately, getting to his feet. Rand followed suit but Jess took a moment to linger and playfully ruffle Alec's hair.

"Hey!" he protested, batting her hand away. She stuck her tongue out at him and grinned unrepentantly before walking past Max into the corridor. The brunette watched the exchange with quiet amusement and more than a little bit of envy.

"I wasn't sure you'd want to see me," Max admitted, her fingers fiddling with the pockets of her jeans.

"Well, you're not packing, that's a good sign," he joked.

"Like I said, I don't do guns," she replied., making her way over to sit beside him on the bed as Jess had. "You look better."

_Understatement_, she thought to herself. Due to the combination of two blood transfusions from a pair of X5s and his body's natural healing capabilities, he was expected to make a full and no doubt swift recovery. His skin had already regained its normal colour but he was under strict orders from the medics to stay in the infirmary for a solid week. Max had no illusions that he'd obey the injunction.

"I feel better," Alec informed her. "I'll be good as new in a couple of days."

"We don't heal that fast, Alec," Max reminded him. "Make the most of it. We've got our work cut out for us."

"Is that a not-so-subtle hint that we're Public Enemy Number One again?"

"Pretty much," Max replied. "The media was all over that warehouse after we got you and Jess out. We're back where we started."

"Have you talked to Jess yet?"

"I haven't figured out an approach that doesn't include yelling," Max told him honestly.

"She's Manticore, Max. She's used to yelling."

Max had to admit that he had a point.

"So she's staying?" Max asked. Alec nodded.

"Yeah, she's sticking around."

"It's kinda weird. Every time I look at her I think about Eva."

"766?"

"Yeah," Max replied. "I never really thought about whether she had a twin."

"It's probably weird for her too, you know. We grew up with Sam."

"I just wish she'd make an effort with Joshua."

"Give her time. You remember what I was like at first. Joshua'll teach her."

"I guess he will," Max said, smiling at the thought of the dog-man.

Outside in the waiting room, Jess watched as Sari pointed a familiar, bespectacled man in the direction of Alec's room. After a second's consideration, she detached herself from Brax and Rand to follow him at a more leisurely pace.

Max and Alec just sat in silence, both unsure of what to say next. It stretched on until Max plucked up her courage and tentatively asked what she'd been wanting to ask since she'd walked into the room.

"Are we okay?"

Alec regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, his hazel eyes fixed on her face. Max swallowed hard as she waited for his answer.

"We will be," he replied gently.

Max's hand slid down into his. He gave it a gentle squeeze. Then she hugged him tightly, taking him completely by surprise.

"Don't scare me like that again, okay?" she said as Alec's arms went around her and she felt him smile against her neck.

"I'm not going anywhere, Maxie," he assured her.

"I hope I'm not interrupting."

Alec looked up as Max stiffened in his arms. He released her immediately and she whirled to face Logan, who was sporting a rather large, painful-looking egg on his head. His glasses were skewed and he was dragging what appeared to be the mangled remains of his exoskeleton.

He was also glaring at Alec, who wanted to groan in frustration. He was sick of the hacker's attitude.

"What's going on in here?" Logan asked, looking from Max to Alec and back again.

"Nothing," Max replied quickly. "I just –"

A hand clamped down on Logan's shoulder from behind, making the older man wince as he turned to find himself face-to-face with Jess. His spine went rigid, a flicker of anxiety flashing through his eyes.

_Thank God,_ Alec thought, raising his eyes to the ceiling. _Saved by the blonde_.

"It's commonly known as 'getting over it'. You should try it sometime," Jess explained, answering Logan's earlier question. She could sense the tension between the three occupants of the room.

Logan backed up as Jess stepped into the room, her piercing eyes fixed on the human. At that moment, Alec could see the predator in Jess. Her movements were fluid, so graceful compared to the retreating human. He'd seen Max move like that and wondered briefly if Logan ever had… or if he'd ever taken the time to notice.

"Come on. We need to have a talk," Jess told Logan, glancing towards the door.

"I don't think so," Logan replied, folding his arms across his chest.

"I don't care what you think," Jess assured him, her expression impassive once more. "Move."

Alec's lips twitched. Usually he wouldn't wish Jessie's wrath on anyone but he was tempted to make an exception in Logan's case. If anyone could keep the hacker in line, Jess could.

Max knew she should protest as Jess steered a clearly apprehensive Logan out of the door but she honestly couldn't summon the will. She was glad that Logan was all right but she just didn't want to deal with his irrational jealousy of Alec right at that moment.

Jess marched Logan down the corridor so that they were out of earshot. He kept glancing back over his shoulder, as if he were worried that she was going to pounce at any moment.

"What's the matter, Logan?" she asked mischievously when they came to a halt. "Do I scare you?"

"Of course not," he denied, squaring his shoulders against the implication. Jess raised a sceptical eyebrow but seemed to consider his words.

"Hmm. That can be fixed," she decided, tossing her hair back over her shoulders.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Logan asked sharply.

"You don't like Alec, do you?" Jess asked straight out.

"I like him just fine," Logan replied.

"You're a shitty liar," Jess told him. "So listen up, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once. I don't know how things used to work around here but now I'm watching Alec's back."

"Is that supposed to be some oblique kind of threat?" Logan challenged her.

"There's nothing oblique about it. You've read my file, right?"

Logan nodded warily.

"Good. Use your imagination," Jess told him. "Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out."

"I'm not leaving until I've spoken to Max," Logan asserted stubbornly.

"Have it your way," Jess replied. Before Logan even knew what was happening, Jess had grabbed him by the ear and was dragging him towards the Infirmary entrance. Eyes Only's struggles drew the incredulous attention of every transgenic they passed until Jess all but threw him out of the building.

With a satisfied nod, Jess turned and strode back inside, leaving Logan fuming on the street.

"Are you all right, man?" a green-eyed X5 male asked, torn between laughing at the scene he'd just witnessed and sympathy for the ordinary their newest citizen had just humiliated.

Logan just glared at him and stalked off in the direction of Headquarters. With a shrug, the transgenic carried on about his business.

By the time Jess returned to Alec's bedside, Max had already left.

"So how do you like it here?" he asked.

"It's pretty cool," she admitted, "but it's seriously deficient in the entertainment department."

"I'm sure you'll fix that soon enough," Alec replied with a chuckle.

"Life's never dull when I'm around, is it?" Jess agreed ruefully.

"Definitely not," Alec said with a grin. "Have you met everyone?"

"Brax and Rand are a blast," she told him.

"And Joshua?"

"I think Manticore took the concept of man's best friend a_ little_ far."

"Get to know him a bit," Alec advised. "You'll like him."

"If you say so," she hedged.

"I do," Alec told her, then added slyly, "He likes to read, you know."

That got her attention.

"Really?" she asked, her interest piqued. "What does he read?"

"A lot of different stuff," Alec replied. "Ask him and find out."

She smiled curiously. "All right, I will."

Alec reached out and gently stroked her pale gold hair away from her face.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Jessie," he whispered.

Her blue-green eyes met his hazel ones as she sighed and shook her head.

"Liar."

**THE END**

**Stay tuned for BEFORE I SLEEP: DAMAGE…**


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